Feminist Disability Theory by

Feminist Disability Theory

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 19:33:00 UTC

Feminist Disability Theory originates from the field of Disability Studies which says that disabilities are considered as an identity group. It promotes the idea that, like being female, being disabled doesn't automatically make you inferior or to be pitied. This theory affects disabled women.

Why does this topic interest me?

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 19:36:51 UTC

I found this topic to be interesting because it surprised me that there was a period of time where disabilities weren't really being considered in everyday life.

Relevance

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 19:41:14 UTC

Terms

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 19:46:28 UTC

Disability - a physical or mental condition that limits a person's movements, senses, or activities

Ability/Disability System - a system where certain body variations are stigmatized if they do not match with the desired body type

Intersectionality - the idea that multiple social identities, like race, gender, and class, overlap and create unique experiences for each person

Rosemarie Garland-Thomson

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 19:54:20 UTC

Rosemarie Garland-Thomson is a bioethicist, author, and educator in disability justice and culture. She wrote a book called Feminist Disability Studies which explains what disability is, and how gender and disability are related. She also looks at how they intersect when it comes to looking at someone's identity.

(https://rosemariegarlandthomson.com/)

Related Feminist Theory

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 19:57:05 UTC

Feminist Disability Theory goes along with the idea of intersectionality, which believes that people can be discriminated against based on multiple parts of their identity.

Susan Wendell

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 20:01:25 UTC

Susan Wendell is the author of The Rejected Body which is a book that uses her experiences with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis to explain feminist theory. She believes that Feminist Disability Theory has shifted away from focusing on the experiences of disabled people to the able-bodied experience. It is because of this that she encourage the integration between feminism and disabled women's experiences.

(https://wellcomecollection.org/works/p5zpv3tp)

Origin

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 20:36:50 UTC

Emerged in the 1980-90s due to disabled women being excluded from feminist groups as well as disabled studies groups. The study of disiabilities shifted from the medical field to the identity study field.

History of Disability Studies

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 20:38:49 UTC

"Studying disability is a prism through which one can gain a broader understanding of society and human experience" - Simi Linton

History of Feminist Disability Theory

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 20:39:43 UTC

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 20:53:31 UTC

Although the field of Disability Studies began to thrive, it wasn't being recognized as a topic that would fall under the umbrella of Identity Studies. This caused Disability Studies to face the backlash that the early feminist movement faced.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

galtieri2 — 2025-02-28 21:09:07 UTC

Passed in 1990
Civil Rights Law
Prohibits discrimination towards individuals with disabilities
Gave civil rights protections that were similar to the ones given to people of different races, genders, nationalities, ages and religions
Gives equal opportunities to disabled individuals in the areas of public accommodations, employment, transportation, state/local government services and telecommunications

(https://adata.org/learn-about-ada)