Subjectivity and Disability

The concept of 'disability' is so subjective, and the authority of the medical community has largely shaped the social constructions surrounding disability that Susan Wendell's article addressed. The attempts of scientists to define, diagnose, and treat whatever they view as against the norm both reflects the values of their society and reinforces them. Science often times has the agenda of factually proving something that is already widely believed, like we've talked about in anthropology with regards to race or as Rosemarie Garland-Thompson mentioned in her presentation about medical experimentation conducted by the Nazis on those they considered deserving of death. In every case, scientists are approaching their research with preconceived ideas and it's no surprise that subjectivity seeps into the body of medical knowledge.

Ideas about what abilities are valuable and what kind of physicality is most desirable change drastically in different historical contexts. Within the last hundred years in the U.S., being a woman was considered being mentally and physically inferior and pregnancy and menstruation have been considered nothing short of temporary disabilities. I don't know if any of you have read the novel College Girls by Lynn Peril, which I had to read for U.S. History, but it has a chapter about girls beginning to join sports leagues that was absolutely fascinating. It caused an uproar in the medical community and there were publications and personal letters from doctors about the dangers of women engaging in strenuous activities. The description I remember most was that the uterus is attached to the body by a delicate string, and when a woman exerts herself too much it might snap.

The social construct of people with what we currently consider disabilities being a drain on society stems from the misconception that the abilities that they do possess aren’t a valid contribution to society. It’s very similar to the once widespread misunderstanding of women’s bodies in medicine, simply because of the social constructs about women being more passive.