Assignments/Readings
The following is my narrative of the above reading:
What I found appealing and interesting about this article was that it touched on a subject that isn’t mentioned as often as it should be. It’s interesting because the fact that it isn’t talked about much is because of social norms, just like the text is demonstrating. The topic of individuals with ‘disabilities’ isn’t talked about because it’s not normal to talk or worry about it. I was surprised by how blind I was to how other human beings are being treated. I never really noticed that they are being put down and demoralized. Which is funny because in school, don’t we learn not to put others down? Yet here we are, separating those who are not part of the norm from the rest. I was surprised to realise that not only is the social norm separating humanity, but it is also trying to encourage one specific style of being. Specifically, I learned from the article that the U.S. society has forced the Deaf to discontinue using or learning sign language and are making them communicate ‘normally’. The text compares this to when the U.S. forced Native Americans to speak English rather than learning the tribe’s language themselves. I’m frustrated that there are so many groups of individuals that are taking part in creating this ‘normalcy’. More specifically, I’m frustrated about the lengths one group goes to in order to establish these boundaries between ‘us’ and ‘them’. Such as when I discovered that the education system has such a big impact in this. When disabled individuals do something ‘wrong’ they are scolded, but when they do something that society deems ‘normal’ they are rewarded. The thing that frustrates me most, is that that they are being treated more or less like wild animals: being put into locked ‘time-out’ rooms is similar to cages, teachers almost never make eye contact with them, and they are occasionally disciplined by use of physical restraints and/or drugs. I would like to thank the author for being brave enough to face the media and going against all theses groups by shedding light on this topic! Not only that, but the author made this article so well because there are solutions included, not only the problems, and thus giving others the chance to work it out and possibly start a change for the better. All in all, this topic brings to mind a quote I heard that goes like: “The greatest threat to mankind, is mankind itself”. This really speaks to me because it find it to be terrifyingly true, as seen in this article. Series, D. Think Everything’s “Normal?” Then It’s Time To Reconsider And Promote A New Narrative Of Disability. Retrieved from http://organizingchange.org/think-everythings-normal-then-its-time-to-reconsider-and-promote-a-new-narrative-of-disability/
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