What is normal? This question may seem obviously rhetorical, yet in the absence of a rhetorical context it oftentimes ignite debate. “Dis/ability Critical Race Studies: Theorizing at the intersections of Race + Dis/ability” by Subini Annamma, David Connor, and Beth Ferri offers a collective ideology to challenge the very notions and automated responses to the often posed and seldom realized “What is normal?” In short, this article challenges notions of normalcy limited by the lens of an “ableist and racist society.”
The theorists and authors combine aspects of critical race theory and disability studies to propose Dis/Ablity Critical Race Studies, or DisCrit, “a new theoretical framework that incorporates a dual analysis of race and ability” (Annamma, Connor, et al). This redefined pedagogy serves as wider, dual view lens from which to analyze, formulate, and iterate educational systems and teachings. DisCrit illuminates how ingrained notions of race and ability are grossly intertwined, perpetuating oppressive systems and educational tenets geared towards “normalcy.”
Most compelling is the reiteration that non-white persons and/or persons with disabilities do not necessarily want to achieve the societally imposed definition of normalcy, that being white, able-bodied, and middle class. In a society that claims to embrace identity as a self-defining right, the identities that qualify as acceptable (and perceptible) are painfully narrow and monochromatic. Interesting, disability is labeled as a “real” identity because it is visible, whereas race is seen as a socially constructed means of segregation; in turn, we find a disproportionate number of black and brown students represented in the disabled category. Racial differences have been “specifically linked with an intellectual hierarchy.” This is mind-blowing in its simplicity and abhorrence. Where white(ness) is seens as both the apex of desire and intelligence, it becomes the immovable apex of power. DisCrit proposes seven tenets to challenge convictions of “normalcy,” actively resisting how race and dis/ability have been used to marginalize groups of people.
Comments
Post a Comment