When I was finishing my presentation of my activist practicum, I thought about the connections that one can make between our readings and the things that we experience in our own lives. I may never have breast cancer and be asked to wear a prosthesis, but having read Audre Lorde's articles on her illness and society's "expectations" illuminate other similar expectations in my life. Cheryl Chase's advocacy for intersex individuals makes me think about the genital mutilation that goes on in other cultures around the world. Anne Fadiman's research on Lia Lee's medical situation and how cultural barriers impeded proper medical treatment makes me think of how many other services, such as law, school, and employment, often encounter the same barriers.
One of the most profound ideas from our syllabus, though, has been Mia Mingus' discussion about disability. I have come to the realization that her method of thinking can be applied to several different aspects of life. When I did my activist practicum, I thought: "If Mia Mingus believes that society should accommodate disabled people, instead of disabled people accommodating society, then why can't society keep us safe, and stop the violence against women?" I think that these type of connections between the readings/discussions and our lives make this class have much more meaning that just for women, or for biomedicine. Using the ideas from the readings to ask questions in our real lives opens up new ways of thinking.
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I think you raise a very interesting point at the end of your post. I remember class the day the Mia Mingus led the discussion. And I think it is safe to say that may have been one of the most controversial discussion days that we have in class throughout the semester (just a little side note, when I wrote the word semester I immediately thought of the word's association with male genitilia, something that would never have crossed my mind prior to taking this class). I personally had a lot of trouble understanding how Mia Mingus could be content living her life in a way that she knew was going to ultimately place her in a wheelchair. I knew for myself that is something that I would not want and I would want to do everything possible as all costs to fix that.
However, I later realized that the point of her speech was not that everyone should be happy about living their life in a wheelchair, but rather if they are content in a wheelchair, which is their personal choice, then it is the responsibility of society to best try to accommodate their lifestyle. It is society that is making them more disabled, not the wheelchair itself. I really like how you were able that idea and parallel that with the take back the night activist practicum. Why is it the responsibility of women to keep themselves safe and protect themselves from violence? I wholeheartedly agree with you when you question why can't society keep people safe and help to stop the violence against women. I really do think it is important to be able to make these connections that you have made and I think that your activist practicum has really helped me to better understand not only the role that society should be playing, but also, what message Mia Mingus was trying to convey. Society should change to accommodate the disabled and society should change to protect women from violence, not the other way around.
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