Race & Dis/ability

This weeks reading titled Dis/ability critical race studies (DisCrit): theorizing at the intersections of race and dis/ability by Subini Ancy Annamma, David Connor and Beth Ferri places a realistic twist on a very familiar noun, disability, defined as a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.  This article speaks specifically about race and disability and their interdependence in education. Isn’t this another layer of the onion that this whole class is based on. Racial injustices have been part of our history since the Civil War. Since then, “policies continue to be put in place that are interlocking and interdependent that routinely advantage whites while producing cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for people of color,” according to Tricia Rose in How Structural Racism Works. 

                   

The article proposes the idea of combining aspects of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Disability Studies (DS) into a new framework incorporating both race and ability: Dis/ability Critical Race Studies, or DisCrit.  One of the DisCrit theories in education theorizes about “ways in which race, racism, dis/ability and ableism are built into the interactions, procedures, discourses, and institutions of education, which affect students of color with dis/abilities qualitatively different than white students with dis/abilities” (Crenshaw 1993; Solorzano and Yosso 2001) This relates to the film “In Sickness and in Wealth” We have seen what our country has done, is doing and will most likely continue to do through policy writing, politicians, big corporations and the ladder of gradation of health and wealth between races. This shows the connection between race and dis/ability being woven into our special education systems across the country. This is just more proof that the policies that are set up, voted into laws, are done so to keep certain people in the class they are in...for good...it’s what we call a catch 22!

The video we watched “Examined Life” with Judith Butler and Sanaura Taylor opens with the posed question “Do you ever go for a walk?” to which Sanaura replies “I walk daily!” As the two walk through San Francisco, Sanaura states she moved here due to its accessibility for wheelchairs. The physical access has drawn many dis/abled people to this area which leads to more dis/abled people being out and about in the community. This leads to greater social access, therefore greater social acceptance. Sanaura realizes her actions make people uncomfortable when she uses certain body parts to get what she needs or do what she has to. Sanaura’s ability to act this way causes many discomfort because “it does not fit into societal norms” or behaviors. 

We, as a society, have some big work ahead of us. We need to fix the racial injustices that continue to suppress our fellow humans, sharing the same planet, breathing the same air, walking the same grounds! We all want to be seen, heard, thought about... Let us work together to embrace our differences and be seen for who we are and what we CAN DO...NOT…who or what we aren’t or can’t do!