100 college things 76

[alexseanchai]

I am interested in people's reactions to this quote from Eli Clare's Exile & Pride, essay entitled "Freaks and Queers":

I think about language. I often call nondisabled people able-bodied, or when I'm feeling confrontational, temporarily able-bodied. But if I call myself disabled in order to describe how the ableist world treats me as a person with cerebral palsy, then shouldn't I call nondisabled people enabled? That word locates the condition of being disabled, not in the nondisabled body, but in the world's reaction to that body. This is not a semantic game.

(PSA for anyone who wants to read the essay: ableist language left right and center. For purposes of critiquing same—like, the R word is followed by the sentence "I learned early that words could bruise a body"—but still present.)

Comments

[pretty_panther]

This is interesting. I personally, feel enabled is for the highly privileged. I feel it is a step up from abled. Abled gives a chance for most things but enabled suggests, to me personally, help to achieve those things. Things like money, tutors, advice, internet, knowledge ect. I think there are many rungs to life and they blur. I'm not sure of me thoughts. I am giving them as they come because I think that makes me more honest?

Saying as a disabled person~ Visibly able, reality disabled.

[alexseanchai]

That makes a lot of sense, actually. Because being nondisabled in all ways but being poor/queer/trans/woman/of color, you're still SOL in a lot of ways, and the more of those descriptors describe one, the more SOL one tends to be.