Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
I was born without a left hand, an impairment which I began to conceal at some
point in my childhood (probably around 9 or 10 years of age). This childhood
concealmentstrategyhasleftalonglegacy.Istillstrugglewiththe“revealornot
to reveal” dilemma, and more often than not will hide my “hand” and “pass” as
normal. (Thomas 1999, 54)
Many people act as conduits of social messages, primarily parents, doctors, teachers,
andfriends,butevencompletestrangersmaydisplayaresistancetoembracingdiversity
and in effect tell the disabled person that, in order to gain social acceptance, noticeable
difference should be minimized (Thomas 1999). Claire spoke of differential treatment
depending on whether she was using her long cane or not. If she walked into someone
whennotusingit, this wouldusually bemet with ahostile orabusive response, whereas
when using her long cane, identifying herself as a blind person, other people tended to
move out of her way or treated her in a patronizing manner. Thus, there was further
demonstration of how disabled women can be in effect set aside or ignored. It would
seem that disability is often treated as disruptive, out of place, or unnatural in public
space.
Resistance Contesting Space Breach Body Privilege
Many of the women interviewed talked of developing positive self-identities primarily
through involvement in the disabled people's movement and disability arts. It became
apparent, that as the women had grown older, they had begun to work more construct-
ivelywiththedifferencecausedbytheirdisability,relatingtoitinamoreself-conscious
manner perhaps. The conscious creation of positive self-identities was often borne out
of a negative normalizing past where as girls, women were subjected to normalizing as-
sumptions and techniques, persuading them that their bodily difference was bad, inap-
propriate,inneedofcorrection,renderingitinvisibleifatallpossiblesothattheymight
be socially accepted.
Some women spoke of consciously making space for themselves on their own terms,
so that they no longer feel obliged to conceal their impairments but, rather, feel able to
assert their positive self-identities as disabled women. Adele spoke of using callipers
[braces]andcrutchestocoerceherbodyintothenormativestandingposition,something
drilled into her as the right thing to do when younger. Now, she talked positively of
her decision to discard these mobility aids in favor of using a wheelchair: “So they [the
crutches and callipers (braces)] got put in the bin and I just used my wheelchair and that
was like a liberation” (Adele 51-56 years).
Although Adele's decision was liberating for her, she made reference to her imme-
diate family's disapproval and disappointment at her decision, which was perceived by
