Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity

2. REASSIGNING MEANING

REASSIGNING MEANIN G The presen t examinatio n o f disabilit y ha s n o nee d fo r th e medical language of symptoms and diagnostic categories. Disability studies looks t o different kind s o f signifiers an d th e identifi cation o f differen t kind s o f syndrome s fo r it s material . Th e ele ments o f interes t her e ar e th e linguisti c convention s tha t structur e the meaning s assigne d t o disabilit y an d th e pattern s o f respons e t o disability tha t emanat e from , o r ar e attendan t upon , thos e mean ings . The medica l meaning-makin g wa s negotiate d amon g intereste d parties wh o package d thei r versio n o f disabilit y i n way s tha t in creased th e ideas ' potenc y an d marketability . Th e disabilit y com 2 munity ha s attempte d t o wres t contro l o f th e languag e fro m th e previous owners , an d reassig n meanin g t o th e terminolog y use d t o describe disability an d disable d people . This ne w language convey s different meanings , and , significantly , th e shift s serv e a s metacom munications abou t th e social, political, intellectual , an d ideologica l transformations tha t have taken place over the past two decades. NAMING OPPRESSIO N It ha s bee n particularl y importan t t o brin g t o ligh t languag e tha t reinforces th e dominan t culture' s view s o f disability . A usefu l ste p in tha t proces s ha s bee n th e constructio n o f th e term s ableist and ableism, which ca n b e use d t o organiz e idea s abou t th e centerin g and dominatio n o f th e nondisable d experienc e an d poin t o f view. Ableism has recently landed in the Reader's Digest Oxford Wordfinder (Tulloch 1993) , wher e i t i s define d a s "discriminatio n i n favo r o f the able-bodied. " I woul d add , extrapolatin g fro m th e definition s of racism an d sexism, tha t ableism als o include s th e ide a tha t a person's abilitie s o r characteristic s ar e determine d b y disabilit y o r that peopl e wit h disabilitie s a s a group ar e inferio r t o nondisable d people. Althoug h ther e i s probabl y greate r consensu s amon g th e general publi c o n wha t coul d b e labele d racis t o r sexis t languag e than ther e i s o n wha t migh t b e considere d ableist , tha t ma y b e because th e natur e o f th e oppressio n o f disable d peopl e i s no t ye t as widely understood . NAMING TH E GROUP Across the world an d throughou t histor y various terminologies an d meanings ar e ascribe d t o th e type s o f human variation s know n i n contemporary Westernize d countrie s a s disabilities . Ove r th e pas t century th e ter m disabled and others , suc h a s handicapped and th e less inclusiv e ter m crippled, have emerge d a s collectiv e noun s tha t convey th e ide a tha t ther e i s somethin g tha t link s thi s disparat e group o f people . Th e term s hav e bee n use d t o arrang e peopl e REASSIGNING MEANIN G 9 in way s tha t ar e sociall y an d economicall y convenien t t o th e so ciety . There ar e various consequence s o f th e chose n terminolog y an d variation i n th e degre e o f contro l tha t th e name d grou p ha s ove r the labeling process...