Category: Disability in Society

My Son’s Swim Coach’s Second Cousin’s Wife has a Student With Cerebral Palsy: The Disability Anecdote

~ crippledscholar ~ 5 Comments

The disability anecdote is something that I'm sure most if not all disabled people have faced. At its most basic it can simply be someone, having discovered they are in the presence of a disabled person who feels compelled to create some bizarre sense of false common ground. The scenario generally involves a nondisabled person finding … Continue reading My Son’s Swim Coach’s Second Cousin’s Wife has a Student With Cerebral Palsy: The Disability Anecdote

Undesirable: Toxic Romantic Dreams, Disability, Sexuality and Relationships

~ crippledscholar ~ 11 Comments

CW: This post contains discussion and descriptions of sexual harassment, violence and bullying Considering the Kathy Lette article in the Daily Mail (which I wrote about here and Carly Findlay wrote about here). I want to offer my own narrative of disability and sexuality, a narrative that isn’t driven by a parent or other third … Continue reading Undesirable: Toxic Romantic Dreams, Disability, Sexuality and Relationships

Issues of Disabled Sexuality and Consent: When Parents Get Involved in Their Children’s Sex Lives

~ crippledscholar ~ 6 Comments

    Australian-British author, Kathy Lette considered hiring her son a sex worker*. She considered doing this because her son is autistic. This narrative in and of itself is not new or particularly shocking. Parents have discussed considering hiring their disabled sons a sex workers before. I’ve seen narratives written by disabled men talking about … Continue reading Issues of Disabled Sexuality and Consent: When Parents Get Involved in Their Children’s Sex Lives

Disability Discrimination and the Glorification of Canada’s “Ruthless” Immigration System

~ crippledscholar ~ 1 Comment

Today I came across two conflicting news articles, one of them Canadian, the other American. They both deal with the Canadian immigration system but they come to vastly different conclusions. The American article which appeared in the New York Times entitled Canada’s Ruthlessly Smart Immigration Policy, glorifies the Canadian by the numbers immigration system. Conversely, … Continue reading Disability Discrimination and the Glorification of Canada’s “Ruthless” Immigration System

Guest Post: The Unwritten Dress Code For Service Dogs at Graduation

~ kenglard ~ 2 Comments

    Graduation season is again upon us, which means students across the US and Canada are donning their graduation regalia and marching across the stage. It is also the time of year local news agencies around the country start reporting on the adorable service dogs that are also prancing along the stage with their … Continue reading Guest Post: The Unwritten Dress Code For Service Dogs at Graduation

But Wasn’t it Nice of Them?: How Praising the Helpers Can Lead to Less Aid

~ crippledscholar ~ 8 Comments

But wasn't it nice of them? Shouldn't people who do things like this be rewarded? These are the questions I am often asked when I critique inspiration porn. Particularly around stories that heap praise on nondisabled people for their assistance of disabled people. The answers to these questions and their accompanying justifications are more complicated … Continue reading But Wasn’t it Nice of Them?: How Praising the Helpers Can Lead to Less Aid

When People Use Diversity to Defend Sameness in Autism Narratives

~ crippledscholar ~ 7 Comments

"It's just one story" or so people keep telling me when I protest the lack of diversity in both autism narratives and characters in the media. The thing is that's exactly the problem. Film and television have basically been writing fan fiction about the same autistic character in different scenarios for decades. This character is … Continue reading When People Use Diversity to Defend Sameness in Autism Narratives