Disability Culture: "It’s not just about basic need, it’s about the right to pleasure"

When Petra Kuppers asks, "What is disability culture?" I do not think she expects a clear, succinct definition or answer. Culture is something that is always difficult to define, no matter what group is being considered. It is something that is constantly evolving and changing in time, never resting on just one idea or one characteristic. Kuppers says "To me, disability culture is not a thing, but a process. Boundaries, norms, belongings: disability cultural environments can suspend a whole slew of rules, try to undo the history of exclusions that many of its members have experienced when they have heard or felt ‘you shouldn’t be like this.’" (4). For her, disability culture is about fighting against exclusion, rewriting the rules and norms, and changing "you shouldn't be like this" to "you should be like this." 

In her film "Invitation to Dance," Simi Linton gives many examples of disability culture in action. Something I took away from the movie is that disability culture is not just about changing the norms to meet the needs of disabled people, but it also must create a space where disabled people can enjoy the world they live in, the company of others, and their lives as humans. Linton says in the film, "It’s not just about basic need, it’s about the right to pleasure" (1:02:26). According to Linton, disability culture operates in a world that goes beyond feeling included to feeling fully invited, wanted, and enjoyed. The most obvious example of disability culture in the film is apparent in the various forms of dance throughout the documentary. However, there are many other small moments of disability culture as well. For example, one of these moments that stood out to me was Linton's description of her first day in Berkeley, California. She went out grocery shopping, and noticed a "gorgeous california man" sitting in a wheelchair. There were three women in bikinis and cutoffs with him, and they were all throwing yogurt at each other and laughing freely. This simple moment on a street corner was significant in Linton's life because it represented true enjoyment and a life that she felt excited to live, something that is very important for the existence of disability culture.