Birds of a feather flock together 2 comments
A strange thing happened in the bookstore today. I joined some friends for coffee and conversation. What could be strange about that, you ask? Well, I noticed we all had disabilities and used wheelchairs. It became momentarily awkward to me. All the disabled people were hanging out with each other. Almost like we didn’t have any other friends and our disabilities required us to be friends.
Of course, none of that is true. But I couldn’t help but think that maybe other people in the store were “summing us up,” so to say. I did ponder a bit (whilst ignoring my friends… sorry) about how people of different cultures tend to, for lack of a better term, group together. The vast amount of diversity on campus makes it easy to see this “phenomenon” happen. So why were a bunch of disabled students hanging out together at MSU’s Barnes & Noble Café? Because of their culture.
A lot of people on lots of disability blogs all over the place can tell you more about Disability culture than I will ever hope to know. I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the idea. Like denial or something. But today it was painfully obvious. Disability culture, whatever it is, is real.
This thought has sent me spiraling back to my first day I joined Disaboom.com. That very day, I participated in a few discussions about the social model of disability compared to the medical model of disability. I won’t get in to all the details, but it was an eye opening discussion for me. Now I’m not going to say I’m a full supporter of the social model or the medical model. I will say that the medical model is not a legitimate opposing viewpoint. It seems to me it is just a piñata created by proponents of the social model so that they can bash it. But the social model has some good points. But that’s for another post.
These thoughts were running through my mind as my friend talked about the people in her past who told her she would not graduate from high school, or attend college. In my peripheral vision, I saw a guy at a nearby table, within earshot. I couldn’t help but imagine what he might be thinking, seeing my friend talking about overcoming “oppression.” I’ll most likely never know.
What are your thoughts about disability culture?
2 Responses to 'Birds of a feather flock together'
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Interesting post. I have always had one or two disabled friends, but have also felt somewhat self-conscious at times about being seen out with just other disabled people. I, too, have wondered what other people think and if they think that all disabled people hang together, or that the only friends I have are disabled. I wonder if they see me as more disabled if I am with other disabled people. In fact, I think way too much ;). One of my disabled friends is deep in disability culture and most of her friends are disabled. And she strives to date someone with a disability, something I would never do. It’s a bit of reverse-discrimination, I suppose. Here I am hoping to be treated like an equal and not be discriminated against, but please let me be around other non-disabled so I can appear less disabled, which is a bit messed up. Of course I’m not going to stop hanging out with my friends who are disabled, a good friend is a good friend. But somehow I strive towards friends without disabilities, because that’ll prove that I’ve “made it”, if that makes any sense. Not a healthy attitude, I admit, but real.
It’s kind of the same reason black students tend to gather together on college campuses, and same with students from the same foreign country, or same hometown, and things like that.
Yes, you’re exactly right. Disability culture does exist, at least to those who have disabilities. Others may or may not understand it to be a culture in its own right.
It’s nothing really to be uncomfortable about……imho
Just a fact of our lives…..