A Modern Way of Thinking is Advantageous
The way we think shapes our culture and is influenced by text in print and the media. Historically, disabled characters in fictional literature have been portrayed as “that other” and used to generate fear, pathos, hatred or they were considered evil monsters. While these portrayals may seem unimportant—after all, made-up stories aren’t “real life”—research has shown time and again that portrayals are extraordinarily important and has influenced many cultures for decades.(Google) These negative and stereotypical portrayals have resulted in avoidance, misunderstanding and fear towards the disabled. (www.scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/77eb88ac-d5aa-47e8-98db-ea2f76fe88e0/content).
Literary studies examined the relationships between identity, society and culture. Critical disability theory emerged from disability studies, a field that grew out of the disability rights movement during the second half of the twentieth century and aimed to challenge ableism. Ableism is defined as discrimination and prejudice against people with minds and bodies considered “abnormal” by the dominant standards of a society
There are two main models of disability: the medical model and the social model. The disability rights movement and disability studies have been mainly driven by the latter.
“Impairment” and “disability” are not the same thing according to the social model of disability:
- Impairment refers to a personal bodily reality that affects the way that someone lives and interacts with the world around them, such as a visual impairment, chronic pain or a broken leg.
- Disability refers to the social barriers that affect the way that someone with an impairment lives and interacts with that faces social oppression and must fight for equal human rights.
Changing attitudes towards disability and accessibility in society started to happen not only in the literary world but also at the federal levels of countries in the 21st century .
On the Macro Level:
Canadian Human Rights Act (1977)
The Act has 11 grounds of discrimination, one of which is discrimination based upon physical or mental disability.
Accessible Canada Act (2019)
The Act aims to ensure a barrier-free Canada. A barrier includes anything physical, architectural, technological, or attitudinal—anything based on information or communications, or resulting from a policy or practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment. An impairment can include a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication, or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation.
Canada’s Disability Inclusion Action Plan (2022)
The Action Plan has four initial pillars: financial security, employment, accessible and inclusive communities, and a modern approach to disability.
On the Micro Level:
The field of education has witnessed great strides in their approach. From the 1950s to the present, there was a progressive inclusion movement in Canadian education (from segregation to including and integrating students). Mainstreaming requires that exceptional learners adapt to the rigors of the general education classroom, whereas an inclusive classroom adapts to the needs of individual students, including those with disabilities. (www.online.utpb.edu/about-us/articles/education/mainstreaming-special-education-students/)
There are a number of inclusion resources available online. The resources provide ways to teach inclusive practices to change attitudes and practices.
- Nora’s Project: www.thenoraproject.ngo
- Kit: www.kit.org
- Canadian Centre for diversity and inclusion offers inclusion and educational guides: www.ccdi.ca/resources/.
[The writing now switches to travel, tourism – do we want to include a subhead to that effect?]
Many Canadian tourist attractions offer wheelchairs to those with mobility issues. However, Upper Canada Village is a prime example of total inclusion:
- They offer all-terrain wheelchairs.
- They provide site maps of the village in Braille.
- There are also maps that highlight areas and buildings in the Village with unusual noises or smells, and they indicate locations of quiet areas. These maps may be useful for visitors with autism or sensory processing difficulties. The staff has received training from Autism Ontario.
- When there are special activities/events on the weekends, they will have an ASL interpreter for people who are hearing impaired.
Dance has been witnessing a step towards inclusion in Montreal. France Geoffroy, (1974-2021) a wheelchair dancer, promoted inclusion through movement. In 2000, she co-founded the first integrated dance company, Corpuscule Danse. Integrated dance is where people with and without disabilities dance as partners (www.prixdeladanse.com/en/laureat/france-geoffroy-2/).
Inclusion is not the norm yet. The federal government is aware of the many gaps/cracks in their policies and that much work still needs to be done. Accessibility on many levels prevents inclusive communities. Many restaurants are culprits to such communities. Many times these places are not wheelchair/scooter accessible or the only choice for those using a wheelchair or scooter must enter through a side or back door. Why not through the front door that everybody else uses? Some restaurants use tablets for their menus. Why can’t these tablets have an audio capability? This would allow their visually impaired patrons to have access to their menus.
The above-mentioned inclusive examples are just a few seeds to inclusion. Many more seeds need to be planted and cultivated. Inclusion signifies that a modern way of thinking is advantageous as it leads to full participation in all aspects of life without being separated or excluded.
