Disability Identity

Question 1

What is a disability?

Answer 1

physical or
mental impairment that limits a person’s movements, senses,
feelings or activities.

Question 2

Examples of disability

Answer 2

• paraplegic : persons leg does not work and needs a wheelchair
• deafness and blindness
• schizophrenic: loss with reality and touch
• depression

Question 3

What is the medical model ?

Answer 3

sees disability as a physiological, biological problem This
approach leads to the defining of a disabled person by their disability or impairment

Question 4

Why is the medical model problematic?

Answer 4

leads to a ‘victim-blaming’ mentality, where the problem lies with
the disabled individual, rather than with a society that has not met their needs

E.g society need to find a way to help those disabled for example medicine , therapy so suffering will improve

Question 5

What is the social model ?

Answer 5

defines disability as a societal problem. By contrast, it focuses on the social and
physical barriers to inclusion that may exist

Question 6

How can society be improved according to social model ?

Answer 6

By changing society e.g laws, buildings for example ramps

Question 7

What does Shakespeare argue for disability identity?

Answer 7

Major obstacles to forming a positive disabled identity as disabled people are often seen themselves as inferior and are often isolated from one another so forming identity is difficult

Question 8

What else does Tom Shakespeare point out about experience of disabled people

Answer 8

Lack of positive role models in public life and media or even with immediate family and often being disabled leads to pity, awkwardness and avoidance

Question 9

What does Tom Shakespeare argue disabled people are socialised into ?

Answer 9

Victim mentality of disabled people are victims and passive of their disorder

Question 10

Recreation and reinforcement of disabled identities

Answer 10

• all agents: master status
• all agents: language : Irving Zola
• media: Colin Barnes x4
• media : Colin Barnes x4

Question 11

All agents: master status

What does the label ‘disabled’ carry ?

Answer 11

Carries a stigma (negative label) that affects all interactions between the disabled and others creating a ‘master status’

Question 12

All agents: master status

Why is being disabled becoming a master status negative

Answer 12

their disability becomes the defining aspect of their
identity for others, who only see them in relation to their disability and not as a man or a woman,
gay or straight, young or old, and so on.

Question 13

All agents: master status

Why is master status negative for disabled person themselves?

Answer 13

As they see themselves first and foremost in terms of their disability

Question 14

All agents: language

What does Irving Zola argue for the creation and reinforcement of disability ?

Answer 14

That the very vocabulary we use
to describe ourselves is borrowed from discriminatory, able-bodied society.

Question 15

All agents: language

Example of language that affects disabled people ?

Answer 15

-de-formed
- dis eased
- dis-abled
- dis-ordered
- ab-normal

Question 16

All agents: language

What does Irving Zola argue for when it comes to change for disabled people?

Answer 16

Have called for new language to discuss disability for example against use of ‘disabled’ and use term ‘differently able’

Question 17

Media: Colin Barnes ,

What does Colin argue about media and disability ?

Answer 17

argues that mass media representations of disability have generally been
oppressive and negative. People with disabilities are rarely presented as people with their own
identities.

Question 18

Media: Colin Barnes

What are the 4 ways according to Colin Barnes that disabled individuals are presented negatively in media ?

Answer 18

1. In need of pity and charity : e.g children in need, channel 4 ‘the undateables’ assuming that
   disabled people are incapable of finding partners to have relationships
   with.
2. As victims : Barnes found that when people with disabilities are
   featured in television drama, they are three times more likely than able-bodied characters
   to be killed off.
3. As villains : people with disabilities are often portrayed as criminals or monsters, e.g. villains
   in James Bond films often have a physical impairment.
4. Barnes notes that people with disabilities are often portrayed as having
   special powers or as overcoming their impairment and poverty. In Hollywood films, the
   impaired male body is often visually represented as a perfect physical specimen in a
   wheelchair.

Question 19

Media: Colin Barnes

Other 4 ways that media portrays disabled people

Answer 19

5. As burdens: documentaries on tv focus on the carer rather than people with the disability
6. As sexually abnormal: is assumed by media representations that people with disabilities
   do not have sexual feelings or that they are sexually degenerate e.g undateables
7. incapable of participating fully in community life: Barnes calls this the stereotype of that people with disabilities are rarely shown as integral and productive
   members of the community such as students, teachers or parents.
8. As ordinary or normal: Barnes argues that the media rarely portray people with disabilities
   as normal people who just happen to have a disability. They consequently fail to reflect the
   real, everyday experience of disability.

Question 20

Studies for disability identity changing ?

Answer 20

• murugami : a person first
• changes in law
• media: positive campaigning: scope campaign #endtheawkard

Question 21

murugami : a person first

What does Margret Murugami argue about a disabled person identity ?

Answer 21

that a disabled person has the
ability to construct a self-identity that accepts their impairment:
but is independent of it.

Question 22

Murgarmi: a person first

She says that that a disabled person has the
ability to construct a self-identity that accepts their impairment:
but is independent of it , so how will they see themselves ?

Answer 22

They see themselves as a person first and their disability as one of their characterics

Question 23

Murugami: a person first

If a disabled Person ability is blocked by by societal and environmental barriers who is blamed ?

Answer 23

Blames is directed at society than impairment

Question 24

Changes in law

What are the changes in law in place for disabled people ?

Answer 24

1995 the disability discrimination Act and the equality act (2010)

Question 25

Changes in law

What does these changes of law mean for those with disability ?

Answer 25

This means that organisations have a positive and proactive duty to take steps to remove or reduce the obstacles faced as a disabled person. This may mean making physical changes to a premises

Question 26

Changes in law

Examples of changes made to reduce obstacles for disabled people ?

Answer 26

such as providing ramps and elevators instead of steps, providing disabled car parking spaces, or
providing extra aids or support (such as giving people more rest breaks).

Question 27

Media: Positive campaigning
Scope Campaign #EndTheAwkward: breaking the discomfort around disability

what is the campaign by scope intended to do ?

Answer 27

• educate people about disability
• business and staff dealing with disability
• break awkwardness and raise awareness of experience of disabled people
• to make disabled people feel comfortable in society

Question 28

Media: Positive campaigning
Scope Campaign #EndTheAwkward: breaking the discomfort around disability

Example of disability and need to raise awareness scope gives

Answer 28

The campaign includes cinema and online adverts featuring disabled comedian Alex Brooker, one of the presenters of Channel 4’s The Last Leg comedy show, highlighting situations
where disability has the potential to cause embarrassment