Blog 1 – Disability
In this Task 1, reflections and analysis on how people who have been identified as disabled interact with other aspects of the individuals’ identities, i.e., race, gender, socioeconomic status, etc, will be provided.
The social model of disability (Oliver, 1990) will be applied to develop my understanding of disability and learning differences, and to implement them into my future teaching context. The idea behind the social model of disability stemmed from the Fundamental Principles of Disability document first published in the mid-1970s (UPIAS 1976), which argued that we were not disabled by our impairments but by the disabling barriers we faced in society. As introduced in the Social Model, the fundamental aspect was concerned with equality. The Model was based on a distinction between the terms “impairment” and “disability”. The Model argued that, given equal rights, suitable facilities and opportunities to disabled people can address the issues such as under-estimation, then allows potential disabled people to contribute to society by enhancing economic values (Oliver, 1983; Oliver, 1990).
The Social Model of Disability views disability as socially constructed and a consequence of society’s lack of awareness. The 3 interviewees in the example films all mentioned this point from different angles. The interviewees claimed that even disability is natural, human variation – it exists at birth, through the life course and across ageing; one which nobody really wants to be part of but which is growing larger by the minute – the largest minority group on the planet, tactile sign larger than life, available for all to join at any moment – disabled people; however, society more often than not views them as a monolithic blob, when in many ways they are the opposite—individuals with identities that intersect and interact with one another in ways that affect their lived experiences.
During my PhD, I worked as a special exam invigilator for disabled students in the University of Birmingham. In my opinion, addressing intersectionality starts with believing people, even when their experience isn’t yours. Watching them, working alongside them, or even living with them is often insufficient to know what they need or want. Proximity is not lived experience. Until you are at the intersection, you will not experience its marginalisation. By listening and caring for disabled students for many years, I have summarised a few points that I believe can help this special group with better life experiences:
- Active listening: Take time to understand rather than assume.
- Challenging stereotypes: Actively confront bias and misconceptions.
- Respecting autonomy: Trust disabled people to articulate their needs.
- Promoting collaboration: Build solutions with, not for, disabled individuals.
Intersectional inclusion is a progressive practice, not a one-time act. It’s a commitment to evolving your understanding and pushing for systemic change. Start with understanding and listening, I believe the disability lived experiences can be minimised someday. As an educator, I will try my best to understand and listen to our disabled students and colleagues’ needs, to minimise the negative intersectionality impacts.
References:
Oliver, M. 1983. Social Work with Disabled People. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Oliver, M. 1990. The Politics of Disablement. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
UPIAS. 1976. Fundamental Principles of Disability. London: Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation.
11th June 2025 @ 11:20 am
I remember from our group tutorial that you have, or are currently doing, research on disability. I really liked the examples you gave then and the way you made me think about projects that engage ‘able-bodied’ people/researchers in experiencing the difficulties of navigating spaces as a disabled person. As I think about this, I now also wonder about the ethics of this and how the disabled community might feel about this.
I guess your expert knowledge in this area also informs your discussion here of the way disability has been defined, especially in relation to the different category of impairments. I liked your point about under-estimation. It can be a difficult line to tread between giving people what they need and creating equitable opportunities but without patronising them. It’s something I have been conscious of and the PGcert has made me think about again.
It will be interesting to hear more about your intervention proposal and how you will integrate these ideas into practice. I think we have all acknowledged the large-scale structural obstacles, as highlighted in the videos too, but I look forward to hearing more about the small ways our blogging group integrate inclusive practice.
11th July 2025 @ 1:03 pm
Hi Misha, I enjoyed reading your post and learning more about your longstanding engagement with accessibility for disabled students. You do a great job of referring to theory to create the foundation for your arguments here and then spotlighting your own reflections and conclusions from your PhD experiences.
I agree that intersectionality implies not grouping disabled students into one big category and assuming they have the same needs. It would be great to hear more about your learnings from interacting with students at these intersectional points. I agree with Paul’s comments above as well – I am struck too by trying to strike that balance between encouraging our disabled students to articulate their needs while not burdening them with having to ‘justify’ their lives. We are also going by the assumption here that our disabled students will have all the answers to what suits their learning needs in a higher education context. I know I have had students who’ve struggled most their lives with formal education and only received a diagnosis during their time at UAL. It’s often a growing process and I wonder what our role as educators is in helping them explore what works for them and what doesn’t. We are also not experts like our colleagues in Disability Services, so while we provide some pastoral support, a lot of it is outside the realm of our expertise (and also our work responsibility). I wonder if you have any thoughts on this?