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This is something that's been fermenting in my brain, lately, that I have not gotten around to posting (I don't think? If I have, please excuse the repeat):
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An adherent to the Medical Model believes that "eliminating disability" means curing or treating all the symptoms.
Whereas an adherent to the Social Model (specifically Yours Truly) believes that "eliminating disability" means:
"Allowing all people the freedom to do everything they can do, without shaming them for what they can not do.
Now, that light bulb clicked on a few weeks ago. This morning a second light bulb clicked on regarding the definition of "Shaming":
The noun "Shame" is the emotional pain you feel when you believe (either correctly or incorrectly) that something you've done, or something you are, is Wrong.
The (transitive) verb "To Shame" is what other people do when you don't feel pain about what you've done, or who you are, but they feel you should, so they do everything in their power to convince you to change your mind. And it takes a lot of practice and a good circle of kith and kin (mostly kith) to withstand all that.
I, for example (as my kith know), feel no shame about my disability. But even so, I cannot deny that this visit to our local fine art museum was a fine example of "shaming, the (transitive) verb":
( A visit to the Chrysler Museum [yes, the same people as the car company], January 23, 2008 [originally posted to my LJ the next day] )
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And no, for the record, I have not gone back since.
It's that social shaming that makes "The Disabled" a distinct (i.e. second -- or third) Class within the society, and what makes Disability an Issue to Deal with instead of just a Difference to Live with.
And eliminating that class distinction within human cultures is what the Social Model of Disability Means to Me...
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An adherent to the Medical Model believes that "eliminating disability" means curing or treating all the symptoms.
Whereas an adherent to the Social Model (specifically Yours Truly) believes that "eliminating disability" means:
"Allowing all people the freedom to do everything they can do, without shaming them for what they can not do.
Now, that light bulb clicked on a few weeks ago. This morning a second light bulb clicked on regarding the definition of "Shaming":
The noun "Shame" is the emotional pain you feel when you believe (either correctly or incorrectly) that something you've done, or something you are, is Wrong.
The (transitive) verb "To Shame" is what other people do when you don't feel pain about what you've done, or who you are, but they feel you should, so they do everything in their power to convince you to change your mind. And it takes a lot of practice and a good circle of kith and kin (mostly kith) to withstand all that.
I, for example (as my kith know), feel no shame about my disability. But even so, I cannot deny that this visit to our local fine art museum was a fine example of "shaming, the (transitive) verb":
( A visit to the Chrysler Museum [yes, the same people as the car company], January 23, 2008 [originally posted to my LJ the next day] )
---
And no, for the record, I have not gone back since.
It's that social shaming that makes "The Disabled" a distinct (i.e. second -- or third) Class within the society, and what makes Disability an Issue to Deal with instead of just a Difference to Live with.
And eliminating that class distinction within human cultures is what the Social Model of Disability Means to Me...
