Transcript
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Since last class, I have been
A. Noticing the ways people use language about
disability.
B. Noticing the ways in which the media
portrays people with disabilities.
C. Noticing people with disabilities around me.
D. Thinking about what I already know aboutdisability and how I know it.
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Plan for the day
3:00-4:00ish, Lecture
4:00-4:15ish, Break
4:15-5:45ish, Film When Billy Broke His Headand Other Tales of Wonder and Feedback
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Main Points from Introductory Lecture
The phenomenon of Disability can be understood through aMedical Model or a Social Model
The social model laid the groundwork for federal protected
minority status and civil rights legislation.
The social model allows us to think about how disability isconstructed socially, politically, culturally, etc.
Language to describe disability is an example of how the
meaning of disability is a constantly changing construct.
Today: One of the ways disability is culturally constructed isthrough narrative (stories across media, including film).
Representations of disability almost always serve a narrative
function. These narratives contribute to understandings of
disability in actual life.
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Disability as a Narrative Device
How do we study representations of
disability?
What are the primary ways that disabled
characters are represented?
Where are actual disabled actors in film?
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How do we study representations of
disability?
In this class, through the lens of DisabilityStudies.
The academic arm of the disability civil rightsmovement.
Shifts exploration of disability from medicalmodel to the social construction model.
Considers disability a human experience, part
of what it means to be human.
Is Interdisciplinary: grounded in theHumanities & Social Sciences.
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Studies the dynamics of Ableism (aka
disability oppression, or the way in which
the world is organized around nondisabled
adults of average height and weight)
Supports social justice and increases power
for disabled people.
Does not individualize, marginalize, pathologize,essentialize, medicalize, exclude, or segregate
Supports self-determination, self-definition
Disability Studies, cont.
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Involves disabled people as producers ofknowledge, not just its objects (NothingAbout Us Without Us)
Studies the history and contemporary issuesof actual disabled people, our institutions,sub-cultural values
Studies mainstream and sub-cultural artistic
representations of disability (metaphors,symbolism, political, etc.), historical andcontemporary
Disability Studies, cont.
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What are the primary ways that disabled
characters are represented?
Screening Stereotypes by Paul Longmore: adisability historian, activist, one of the first to look at
the social construction of disability in the media
First published in 1985
Hundreds of disabled characters, but we overlook
their prevalence and frequent presence
Television and film supply quick and simple solutions
to complex problems of disability (for nondisabledand disabled)
Popular entertainment alludes to the dominant
cultures fears and prejudices, reassure us about
ourselves
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Which disability stereotype are you
most familiar with?
A. Evil doer or monster
B. Maladjusted disabled person
C. Gifted, or spiritually superiorD. I never noticed these stereotypes before
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Narrative Prosthesis and the Dependencies
of Discourse by David Mitchell and Sharon Snyder (2001)
From identification of stereotype to how disability actually
functions as a pervasive narrative device
Narrative dependson disability as something out of place
Disability represents a metaphorical problem to be solvedby the narrative
Disability becomes the metaphorical embodiment of a social
problem.
Disability gives the metaphor flesh Narrative solves this metaphorical problem by solving the
problem of disability through death, censure, resignification
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Why do stereotypes and narrative
prosthesis matter? The stories about disability and disabled people
become far removed from the actual lives of disabled
people.
They distract audiences away from the real problemspeople with disabilities face (like prejudice,
discrimination, lack of resources, poor public policy)
Disability becomes laden with meaning, so that
stories about disability become formulaic.
Actual disabled artists are sidelined from
conversations about disability.
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Where are Actual Disabled Actors in
Film?
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Disabled People as Viewers
People with disabilities face barriers asviewers
inaccessible buildings
lack of captioning and narrative description the technology to use such accommodations
Stories told in film dont reflect the lived
experience of disability; they tend to fall intopredictable stereotypes
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Access to the profession
Barriers to careers in film include: Structural : buildings, theatres, rehearsal halls, audience spaces
Communication: lack of access to ASL, captioning, Braille,censorship
Transportation: lack of affordable, reliable, and flexibletransportation for artists and audiences
Technological: assistive technology not always available forartists or audiences
Stamina: long and erratic hours not suited to many pwds
Economic issues: lack of access to health insurance, personalassistants, art-making materials
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Education/Development
At each step in arts career development (aspirations formal training career) people with disabilities face
low expectations
lack of access
discrimination
Professional training is essential but discriminatory
admission practices and lack of accommodation still exclude
many.
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Attitudinal
Limited roles available for people with disabilities
The roles available for disabled performers often
contribute to negative attitudes about people with
disabilities, making them unattractive to disabled
actors.
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Im back from break
A. And Im ready to watch the film
B. And Im still hungry
C. Wait! I forgot to pee!
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When Billy Broke His Head and
Other Tales of Wonder (1995) One of the first
documentaries post-ADA by
a disabled artist
Lays out issues faced by the
disability community
One of the first film to show
disabled people in
community
See tensions between the
medical and social models
Critically acclaimed
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I stayed for the whole film
A. I earned my participation points!
B. I am beginning to see how the everyday
issues people with disabilities face are
complicated by media representations.
C. I am interested in how disabled people are
using media to combat mainstream media
representations.
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