Why don't we talk enough about disability?

Feb 5, 2022

Updated: May 15, 2022

content warning: disability, ableism

When Kimberlé Crenshaw first coined the term "intersectionality" in 1989, a larger shift within feminist thought occurred that recognized the ways in which the various parts of someone's identity are not separable and influence their lived experience in a unique and interconnected way.

Since its original naming, the concept of intersectional feminism has moved beyond just class, race, and gender to include other factors like sexual orientation and global location. Unfortunately, disability has often been left out of the conversation.

So let's start by just defining disability.

Disability

"A disability is any condition of the body or mind (impairment) that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them (participation restrictions)." (CDC)

It's important to note that this definition, though it's likely the most widely used definition, still has its problems. It implies deficiency on the individual's part, instead of a collective societal lack of accommodation and welcoming for multiple ways of being. Check out Alice Wong's Disability Visibility for more on this.

Whereas we typically view disability as something visible like having a condition that requires wheelchair use, it is crucial to recognize disability as a much broader term.

Usually, disabilities that are more visible are more recognized and represented by society at large. This can lead to people with lesser-known or less visible disabilities to feel invalidated, ignored, and marginalized.

If we're on the same page that all humans deserve respect and equity, that means recognizing how physical and cognitive ability levels influence everyone's experience in society - whether that means having able-bodied privilege or oppression related to having a disability.

And if we're on the same page that a constructive feminist approach should recognize the experience of all humans, that means bringing disability into our feminist conversations, learnings, and activism.

"...feminist theories all too often do not recognize disability in their litanies of identities that inflect the category of woman." (Garland-Thomson, Integrating Disability, Transforming Feminist Theory)

The great thing is that many academics, activists, and feminists have already been doing this! Some have connected disability to other social factors like queerness, some have introduced an intersecting feminist disability discipline, and some have simply argued (the hopefully obvious notion) that disability is a feminist issue.

"...women's and gender studies and disability studies [are] natural partners. They're both academic fields with links to activist culture. They both look at power and privileges. Not all women's and gender studies programs have a disability studies component, but once it's included, it's hard to see how it was ever left out." (Piepmeier, et al., Disability Is a Feminist Issue)

If you're reading this and you don't have a disability, then your role is being an ally! Besides using subtitles and avoiding slurs, there are so many ways to practice being an ally for the disability community.

Related terms & concepts...

Ableism

Prejudice and/or discrimination against people with mental and/or physical disabilities. Often stems from a savior complex, the idea that people with disabilities need to be pitied and fixed, or other internal biases and assumptions.

Able-bodied

A term used to describe people who do not currently have any form of disability. It is important to note that some people choose to say "currently able-bodied" to recognize that anyone could at any point in their life develop a disability due to illness or injury. This approach is used intentionally to humanize the fight for disability rights and allow everyone, regardless of their level of ability, to feel connected to that effort.