District Book Read 22-23: Disability Visibility: Further Reading and Resources

From the University of Minnesota's Critical Disability Studies Collective, this list of terminology and definitions used within the study of Disability Rights and Justice can help readers orient themselves in the language of this community. Some key terms for reading and research:

• Ableism: as defined by TL Lewis: “A system that places value on people’s bodies and minds based on societally constructed ideas of normalcy, intelligence, excellence and productivity These constructed ideas are deeply rooted in anti-Blackness, eugenics, colonialism, and capitalism. This form of systemic oppression leads to people and society determining who is valuable and worthy based on a person’s appearance and/or their ability to satisfactory [re]produce, excel and ‘behave.’ You do not have to be disabled to experience ableism.”
• Crip: A term used historically to stigmatize and oppress disabled people. It has been reclaimed by some people disabled people. It should only be used with permission from the community or person who is being referred to, or regarding the theories noted below. There is discussion about whether crip refers only to the physical disability community, or other experiences as well.
  • Crip time: A concept arising from disabled experience that addresses the ways that disabled/chronically ill and neurodivergent people experience time (and space) differently than able-bodyminded folk. In her essay on Crip Time, Ellen Samuels quotes her friends Alison Kafer, who says that crip times means: "rather than bend disabled bodies and minds to meet the clock, crip time bends the clock to meet disabled bodies and minds."
• Bodymind: A term used to challenge the idea the body and mind are experienced separately (Descartes). Written in various ways, Bodymind or Body-mind, this usage foregrounds the understanding that experiences of the bodymind are integrated (Price).

Year of the Tiger: An Activist's Life (2022)

by Alice Wong 

Available at the Seattle Public Library

Book cover for Year of the Tiger: An Activist’s Life with a marigold yellow background. On the right side is an illustration of a crouching tiger in red in the style of Chinese paper cuttings with delicate cutouts in various shapes giving form and definition to the tiger. On the left in black large text YEAR OF THE TIGER at the top and ALICE WONG below. In the center in smaller red text AN ACTIVIST’S LIFE and in the lower right corner EDITOR OF DISABILITY VISIBILITY. Small, delicate red flowers are sprinkled throughout. Book cover by Madeline Partner.

The Disability Visibility Project 

An online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture

Visit here for more interviews, blogs, and resources

From left to right: Digital collage that includes Black and white photo portraits of three people staring pensively at the camera, an Afro-Latina person with medium length curly hair, an Asian person smiling, she is wearing a trach at her neck and wearing a blouse. She is sitting in her power wheelchair. An Iranian person with short, dark curly hair and circular. They wear a black shirt while their hand rests on their chin. Around each persons' head rests an illustrated cream colored circle crown on a purple background. Artist credit: Jen White-Johnson