Claiming Disability Through Self-Advocacy
By mheffernFebruary 22, 2016 - 23:58
In the first chapter of "Claiming Disability: Knowledge and Identity," disability studies is defined as that which focuses on the external variables: "the social, political, and intellectual contingencies that shape meaning and behavior" (Claiming Disability, 6). In Melanie Yergeau's "I Stim, Therefore I Am," The Loud Hands Project, and S#!T Ignorant People Say to Autistics, space is created for individuals with autism to freely express their thoughts and behaviors. And, in acheiving this, Simi Linton's objective in studying disability is also encompassed, for the individuals in these videos call attention to not just themselves and their abilities, but to how others perceive them and their actions as well.