Blogging Task 1: Disability
Lets listen with our eyes and not just our ears”
(A Selby Film, 2012)
As the start of the film, you are introduced with a morning routine of the main character. There is a subtle focus on sound which increases when you notice her crouch on a busy road and record the atmosphere, making notes of the things she sees. She signs her name, introducing herself as Christine Sun Kin or CK.
I think there is a space to reflect on how CK introduces herself, with just her name and feels no need to name/ explain her disability. She uses it as a tool to talk through how she sees, experiences and engages with the world around her. She uses other people’s hearing experience to contrast her own, specifically how she was encouraged to uphold the conventions regardless of it’s benefit to her.
People who have access to sound naturally own it and have a say in it… they would tell me to be quiet, don’t burp, don’t drag your feet, make loud noises…”
(A Selby Film, 2012)
This experience led her to question the ownership of sound and eventually how she could reclaim it as her property.
This additionally made me think about the evolution of language, especially in order to be more inclusive. When speaking about disability, there is the debate of using ‘person-first’ or ‘identity-first language’, i.e disabled person or person with a disability (Klentz, 2020).
Person first language acknowledges that they are a person and also happen to be disabled – this is what I thought of in regards to Christine’s introduction – having a disability may be a part of your experience/ identity but not your whole identity. Does the language differ when referring to visible vs invisible disabilities?
Identity-first language (i.e disabled person) identifies the disability first. Some argue this language highlights disability and therefore work towards destigmatising having a disability. Identity-first language is mainly used within the disabled community, “usually because they feel their disability can not (or should not) be separated from who they are” as it effects and impacts their daily life.
They type of language preferred can vary from person to person/ different for different disabilities. Therefore it is better to ask someone their preference and always be respectful. How does this work for people with invisible disabilities, or even as many students and staff do not disclose their disabilities?
A really important note in regards to intersectionality is how her experience as being a child of immigrants. It was not something that had occurred to me before but really highlights how our multiple identities intersect and inform each other. She explains how her parents were trying to learn English as well as sign language at the same time and the complexities that brings. An experience that you more commonly hear children’s whose parent’s aren’t native speakers in the country they are residing in, having to work out things like government documents, translating conversations and made to navigate adult situations far sooner than their age.
CK’s experience as a person with a hearing impairment and whose parents are trying to learn two languages at the same time would be different to other people with disabilities due to her intersectionality.
CK mentions that while growing up she found it frustrating to communicate the intricate ideas she had without the proper tool, vocabulary and grammar to do so. This could also mean she may not have felt understood the way she intended.
I felt like my voice was being suffocated… I was boxed in by my language constraints.”
(A Selby Film, 2012)
How could you apply the resources to your own teaching practice?
Christine Kim shows us alternative ways in which we can create, explore and observe. These methods can be more tactile and engaging to student who prefer to learn in more sensory ways. When designing learning content, it is important to consider and also provide examples of the different ways of doing things whether that is collecting research, or experimenting with sound – to encourage and show students there is not right or wrong way to produce work.
In May 2014, Israeli soldiers shot and killed two teenagers, Nadeem Nawara and Mohamad Abu Daher in occupied Palestine (West Bank). The case hinged upon an audio-ballistic analysis of the recorded gunshots to determine whether the soldiers had used rubber bullets, as they asserted, or broken the law by firing live ammunition at the two unarmed teenagers.
A detailed acoustic analysis, for which Abu Hamdan used special techniques designed to visualize the sound frequencies, established that they had fired live rounds, and moreover had tried to disguise these fatal shots to make them sound as if they were rubber bullets. These visualizations later became the crucial piece of evidence, forcing Israel to renounce its original denial. (https://kadist.org/work/rubber-coated-steel/)
How could you integrate the research/ work your students do on this subject into your teaching/professional practice?
Being mindful and encouraging students to question how is the work they are creating inclusive to a wide range of audiences. The social Model of Disability explains that “people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference”. How can we build in the element of inclusive design from the ideation stage rather than view as an additional/ nice to have or an option. As a I work with Graphic Design students, in a very visual course, how can we communicate with a range of people including those whose first language may not be English, may be partially sighted or may not have the time or energy to process large pieces of text/ information.
References
A Selby Film, 2012. Christine Sun Kim – 10min. Available at: <https://vimeo.com/31083172>
Kadist.org. 2016. Lawrence Abu Hamdan Rubber Coated Steel. [online] Available at: <https://kadist.org/work/rubber-coated-steel/>
Klentz, R., 2020. Person-First or Identity-First: The importance of Language. [online] The Disability Union. Available at: <https://disabilityunion.co.uk/person-first-or-identity-first-the-importance-of-language/#:~:text=Person%2Dfirst%20language%20means%20%E2%80%9Cperson,should%20not%20be%20the%20focus.>
Scope. n.d. Social model of disability | Disability charity Scope UK. [online] Available at: <https://www.scope.org.uk/about-us/social-model-of-disability/>
Reading your blog made me consider appropriate language and how to tackle this within and outside of my practice. I agree with your statement that ‘preferred language can vary from person to person / different for different disabilities’ and also ‘ it is better to ask someone their preference and always be respectful’.
I thought I would have a quick look at the UK government guideline in regards to inclusive language and found this page ‘Inclusive Language: words to use and avoid when writing about disability’. This guidance is very basic and highlights the need for progress in terms of awareness and language. It does not state anywhere in the guidance that you could ask the person for their preferred language.
Of course, we can only open up the dialogue of preferred language directly, when we are aware of a disability. Therefore, how do we open this conversation around invisible disabilities? A BBC article ‘The hidden challenges of hidden disabilities’ states that a World Health Organization (W.H.O) survey highlighted that “74% of people with disabilities do not use a wheelchair or anything else that might visually signal their impairment to the outside world”. It also references a 2011 Canadian Survey claiming that “88% of people with invisible disabilities had a negative view of disclosing their disability”. This is the narrative that we need to change within our practice. Making safe spaces to discuss disabilities and providing an environment where a person can disclose an impairment with confidence that it will be a positive experience. I think your suggestion of asking students to consider how their work is inclusive to a wide ranging audience, will create an atmosphere of open dialogue, which will then become a standard consideration and commonly discussed element. That small consideration could make a big difference to not only to a person within the course with an invisible disability but also those outside who will also benefit from that inclusive element.
References
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inclusive-communication/inclusive-language-words-to-use-and-avoid-when-writing-about-disability
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20170605-the-hidden-challenges-of-invisible-disabilities
Hi Tracyann,
Thank you for your detailed comment – it gave me a lot to think about! I wasn’t aware of the GOV.UK Inclusive language resource but found a really thought provoking statement, “An impairment may just mean that some things are done in a different way”. In terms of encouraging students and designers to design in more inclusive ways, I feel using this as a premise would be a great start in dismantling ableistic thinking/ views.
I agree with your statement that we do need to address/ change the negative view of disclosing a disability within our practice. I do hope in making the conversation more common place, and discussing designing for people with disabilities and impairments in the work that students are creating would help open up the dialogue further.