Carelton University Student Paper: (Dis)ability

By Brian Smith

In November of last year, Tyra over at Staged Awareness posted her paper entitled (Dis)ability. It is very good and highlighted three key thinkers in our belonging movement: Michael Prince, Catherine Frazee and Bonnie Sherr Klein.

Before sharing the entire paper, let me pull out my favorite quote:

"Her ability to surpass her limitations as a person with disability and participate in and contribute to Canadian society in such a poignant way demonstrates what all three articles declare, which is the desire and necessity of our society to not only remove the obstacles that exclude persons with disability from participating, but to value the wonderful gifts they contribute to Canadian society."

"Inclusion for Frazee and the young people she interviews is about personal belonging to community and how we experience our relationships within social groups, organizations and institutions that bring people together (Frazee, 106)."

Our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that every person is equal under law and entitled to equal protection against discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. We are a country that expects that our rights to live our lives to the fullest extent possible are respected. Our national identity is one of diversity and a testament to our inclusive society that respects difference.... Mental and physical disability equality rights are entrenched in our Charter, however there are some real impediments for Canadians living with disability to participate as full members in society. This paper will discuss the issue of disability and examine the arguments made in the three articles "We Are Who You Are: Feminism and Disability" by Bonnie Sherr Klein, "Canadian Disability Policy: Still a Hit-and-Miss Affair" by Michael Prince, and finally, "Thumbs Up! Inclusion Rights and Equality as Experienced by Youth with Disabilities" by Catherine Frazee. I will examine the issues of disability identity in Canada and systems of inclusion and exclusion on the individual level as well as the larger governmental and societal levels.
Bonnie Sherr Klein came to speak to Carleton University students on October 25th of this year where she presented part of her new film "Shameless: The Art of Disability" and to talked to us about her personal experience and artistic work as a disabled person and feminist.

Bonnie Sherr Klein talks in her article "We Are Who You Are" and in her lecture on "Shameless" on coming out as a person with disability and the empowerment of self-identification to that community. Klein spoke to us about the long journey it had taken for her to start to direct a documentary film again after her stroke 19 years ago. Klein states in her article that her identity as a film maker and feminist, and the power and agency those roles provided to her self identity had been important factors in the acceptance of her disability (Klein, 29). Like the other articles by Prince and Frazee, she describes the system of inclusion and exclusion which posits persons with disability as the differentiated group of the "Other" against the "normalized" able-bodied population in society (Klein, 28). She describes how she resisted to being categorized as the Other by becoming active in disability movement groups such as DAWN ( the DisAbled Women’s Network, Canada) and building a network that supported both her disability and feminism. As a long time film maker, feminist, and activist, Klein drew from her past experience and reached out to the disabled community in a personal and political act of solidarity (Klein, 29). Klein argues that by "coming out" and identifying as a person with disability and joining the disability movement is empowering because it raises awareness and builds solidarity within the disability community and society as a whole. For Bonnie Klein, her work in film making, feminism and disability activism has allowed her to continue her life’s work, which is an integral aspect of one’s sense of self-worth and belonging. Her ability to surpass her limitations as a person with disability and participate in and contribute to Canadian society in such a poignant way demonstrates what all three articles declare, which is the desire and necessity of our society to not only remove the obstacles that exclude persons with disability from participating, but to value the wonderful gifts they contribute to Canadian society.
Michael Prince in his article "Canadian Disability Policy: Still a Hit-and-Miss Affair" presents the issues of disability in Canada using the institutional discourse of governments, unlike the Klein and Frazee articles which primarily focus on the personal narrative and experiential aspects of people with disabilities. Prince argues that the governmental approach to disability is and always has been fragmented by the focus on individual programs and polices that may be given high or low priority depending on the political environment at any given time (Prince, 6). Here, Prince brings up several important issues. First is that governments tend not to view issues of disability as a encompassing issue that affects all government programs and policies, but rather as considerations or add-ons to "mainstream" initiatives or separate initiatives such as educational support and physical access to public spaces (Prince, 6). Again we see the process of viewing people with disabilities as a marginalized group separate from the able-bodied majority. Prince describes this way of responding to the needs of disabled people as the conventional perspective, in which programs and policies are seen as separate and compartmentalized from other "mainstream" programs and polices, rather then what he describes as the disability perspective where issues of inclusivity and equality are accorded consideration in all areas that impact and affect peoples lives, goals and aspirations (Prince, 5). The fact that governments view disability as a separate issue that affects a separate segment of society and furthermore categorizes disabled people differently depending on their disabilities, they inadvertently perpetrate the system of exclusion they are trying to end (Prince, 5). Prince contends that governments need to approach disability issues in two ways: first governments must view existing "mainstream" programs and policies through a disability lens and incorporate disability considerations into all government programs and services. Second, the government must provide supplementary programs and services that focus on the special needs of those with disabilities to achieve greater equality and belonging in Canadian society (Prince, 21).
Another important issue that Prince addresses is the power of government in their role as an active agent for change, for they have the authority to ensure that the inclusion within society, and rights of people living with disability are respected (Prince, 5). Because the government has often prioritized issues of disabilities differently depending on the government in power and the economic condition of the country, reforms have not manifested into real change (Prince, 19).
In Catherine Frazee’s article "Thumbs Up! Inclusion Rights and Equality a Experienced by Youth with Disabilities" the use of the personal narrative of youth on their understanding of inclusion illustrates the experiential nature of inclusion, and the fact that inclusion and a sense of belonging is not simply an intellectual concept but the way in which human beings relate to each other (Frazee, 108). Inclusion for Frazee and the young people she interviews is about personal belonging to community and how we experience our relationships within social groups, organizations and institutions that bring people together (Frazee, 106).
Frazee argues that in order to create equality and inclusion of people with disabilities the issues must not be based solely on the legal discourse of rights and equality, but must include the social interactions of people who practice inclusion through their relationships with others. Viewed from the experience of youth, inclusion is rooted in the way in which we treat others: with compassion, understanding, acceptance, and connection (Frazee, 107). Catherine Frazee describes the limitations of legal rights discourse in creating equality for all people with disabilities when equality and inclusion is based on the individual right to belong and participate in society because it is an intrinsic right in itself and not based on the specific conditions of one’s disability and their ability to conform to or act within the able-bodied standard (Frazee,121).
In all the readings the issue of social sites or spaces, such as schools, organizations and institutions are addressed when talking about systems of inclusion and exclusion. For Bonnie Sherr Klein the ability to identify and belong to a community of disabled people allowed her a space where she shared common experiences, struggles, goals, aspirations and solidarity with others that are disabled. Catherine Frazee focuses primarily on creating an inclusive environment within "mainstream" or able-bodied society that allows for the ability of those with disability to act within that mainstream. Whereas Klein emphasizes the empowering ability of identifying one’s self as a disabled person and the importance of a separate space for people with disabilities to unite, Frazee emphasizes the right of disabled people to achieve those same ends within society as a whole. Neither perspective is wrong, in fact it is important that both areas are available as it is essential for people with disabilities to have both separate spaces in which to belong to and a sense of belonging to society at large. Michael Prince demands that government not only allow for the ability of disabled people to participate and be included in existing programs and policies by evaluating policy through a disability lens, but also support the supplementary programs that deal exclusively with disability issues and needs. Klein herself in the lecture on October 25th offered such a response by quoting feminist and activist Kay McPherson: "When in doubt, do both."
Canadian society and our national identity resides in a strong understanding and need for inclusivity to unite a diverse population with diverse identities, needs, desires and aspirations. People living with disabilities in Canada have the same right to belonging and participate in society as anyone else. Along with governmental action, we must at an individual level create an inclusive environment where those with disability can achieve their dreams and goals.