On Simi Linton

For me, there were two eye-opening moments during the documentary Invitation to Dance. First, when Simi Linton showed disability activism through using her two hands, one with open and one in a fist. The fist was the disabled community and the open hand represented all social constructs. She then says that doctors and organizations like Autism Speaks are focussing on 'fixing' the disabled population while activists are focussing on chaging social constructs. This simple representation provided tons of clarity for me. Secondly, there was a point when one of the dancers talked about how tdancing is not theraputic for them, it is art. When they dance, they want to be judged for the quality of their work not the 'niche' aspect of being in 'disabled dancers'. There is also a part where Simi is jokin with friends about how many "inspirationals" they got after a show. This was fascinating because it showed just how far people will got to show sympathy but not respect.