As with a number of topics BCM310 has brought to my
attention throughout this semester, the social exclusion of disabled
individuals was one that I had not considered in depth other than always
seeking to be fair, inclusive and unpatronising towards such individuals in my
daily life. Goggin and Newell (2007) made me question how apparent advancements
in society’s acceptance and understanding of disabilities have not brought
about greater accessibility or the proliferation of ‘inclusive technology’ despite
the rapid technological advancements we see elsewhere. Being shown clips of sign
language interpreters being cropped out of media broadcasts in the lecture
further enraged me and now like when someone makes you aware of the fact that
you are breathing and blinking subconsciously (gotcha!), I can’t stop myself
from thinking about it and considering an endless list of examples of things
that I take for granted but from which those with disabilities are
thoughtlessly excluded. Making matters worse is the fact that technology is
readily available to level the playing field in a number of these examples but
isn’t implemented because it isn’t profitable or because the issue is easily
swept aside in favour of one that affects us able-bodied folk.
Similar to last week, tutorial discussion quickly evolved to
the broader issues at play; to the topic of how the disabled function in
society in general, focusing on unpacking the social awkwardness that stems
from trying to be accepting of an individual’s differences but ultimately doing
the exact opposite. Similar to a point I raised on the topic of racism, I
believe that this social awkwardness stems from issues attached to disability
and not disability itself and that the only way that we as a society can move
past it is by making such trivial things as your appearance or impairments
non-issues. Living inside every disabled body is a unique individual and that
is all that should matter in a society that so proudly boasts progress and acceptance.
References:
Goggin, G and Newell, C 2007, ‘The Business of Digital
Disability’, The Information Society: An
International Journal, Vol.23, No.3, 159-168
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