Intersectionality was first coined over 35 years ago by Kimberlé Crenshaw, drawing on black feminist and critical legal theory. It highlights how facets of our identities, such as race, gender, disability can overlap to compound social disadvantage.
Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects“
Kimberlé Crenshaw
It was helpful to read alongside to Mike Oliver’s work on Individual and Social models of disability. He outlines how the former’s association with the medicalisation of disability, which roots the ‘problem’ in the individual. Instead, he argues that, ‘disability is a social state and not a medical condition.’
It is not individual limitations, of whatever kind, which are the cause of the problem but society’s failure to provide appropriate services and adequately ensure the needs of disabled people are fully taken into account in its social organisation“
Mike Oliver
It’s surprising how deeply embedded within my thinking the Individual Model of Disability is, and this really hit home for me as I reviewed the content.
Ade Adepitan’s interview illuminated the social model of disability theory, drawing parallels between the struggles of BLM movement and Paralympic movement, and the significance of society providing opportunities for ‘people to shine’. While overt discrimination has declined, systemic discrimination and oppression is still rife, for him as someone who intersects race and disability.
‘Friends and Strangers’ explored how Christine Sun Kim, an artist of Asian American origin uses her art practice to cross cultural boundaries and communicate the experience of being a deaf person in a ‘hearing world’. The film seemed less focussed on her racial identity, and more on Sun Kims experience as both a deaf person and mother, and how these two parts of her identity might intersect to compound social disadvantage. She describes how the infrastructure of German society with its free childcare, in fact makes being an artist more feasible, in contrast to the US, in the same vein as Adepitan, her interview highlighted how social systems can either enable or stifle possibilities.
She reflects on the systemic disadvantage that prevented her from participating in creativity as a child, denied opportunities that as a hearing person I may have taken for granted, Sun Kim says ‘Growing up I loved art, but I didn’t take classes because there weren’t interpreters available.’ Interesting that the last part of this sentence could potentially be changed to any other social disadvantage that might resonate. For example, ‘Growing up I loved art, but I didn’t take classes because there weren’t INSERT HERE/ I couldn’t afford them/ my parents didn’t want me to do art/girls weren’t allowed to attend’
For me, it highlighted the transformative potential for creative arts education for self-actualisation, and how important it is to remove the barriers to access on multiple fronts.
While I don’t know what it feels like to be deaf person but I can understand what it might feel like to be at a disadvantage because of something from my own lived experience. For example, right now I’m struggling to finish this blog post because I have to go and pick up my kid from school. Since becoming a mum, I know what it feels like to not have unlimited time, to be at a disadvantage in the workplace and creative industry because of caring responsibilities. OK, it’s not of the same gravitas, but put simply, this capacity for empathy and the potential to recognise your own struggle in that of others, creates a consciousness to advocate for collective change, which is at the core of intersectional ideals.
Having an ability to form empathy within a situation and being able to engage with others’ lived experiences and world views enables participants to be more open to different ways of working or unlearning existing behaviours and assumptions”
Cate Thomas
Something which resonated in Chay Brown reflections on the intersection of disability and gender were comments about visiting a Trade Union Conference which had very good accessibility considerations. He suggested one of the reasons being that, ‘the people on the organising committee understood accessibility and understood it through lived experience’.
Those making decisions at a senior level had power to make the event accessible. This could be applied at every level of intersectional thinking. He also talked about mental health as a hidden disability, which is particularly relevant for teaching context where it is becoming increasingly prominent.
Along with this, other disability considerations in my cohort include neuro-diversity, dyslexia, physical, sensory impairments. It came to light recently via disability support adviser that a hearing impaired student suggested adjustments were not always being made in Stage 2. The adviser stressed how important it is that these adjustments are embedded into day to day practise as a move towards inclusive teaching and learning, as they will be helpful to all students.
I do feel well supported by the Disability Advisors, and there is a good system of referrals and communication. However, challenges faced by demands of workload can prevent these adjustments from being made, better infrastructures need to be in place to support the resourcing of tailored material and training within the University, so it doesn’t all fall on the individual. Additional time should be allocated for staff too, enabling them to have the capacity to embed these practices, so we can commit through practical action rather than just pay lip service. But perhaps my own resistance to automatically creating resources for accommodation of learning differences is a reflection of how much more work needs to be done in shifting social attitudes?
References
1. Kimberlé Crenshaw on Intersectionality, more than two decades later (no date) Columbia Law School. Available at: https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionality-more-two-decades-later (Accessed: April 2024).
2. Crenshaw, K (1991) Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color, Stanford Law Review, Vol. 43, No. 6
3. Oliver, M (1990) ‘The Individual and Social Models of Disability’ (paper presented at Joint Workshop of the Living Options Group and the Research Unit of the Royal College of Physicians on People with Established Locomotor Disabilities in Hospitals, 1990)
4. Thomas, C (2022) Overcoming Identity Threat: Using Persona Pedagogy in Intersectionality and Inclusion Training. Social Sciences 11: 249. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci11060249
Hi Nina,
I found your post really enlightening, as it was great to read about the role of empathy in inclusive practice. I liked what you said about finding ways to relate your own experiences as a parent to understand how a societal barrier feels for others. I agree with you that the social model of disability is a really important framework for thinking about how it is everyones responsibility to consider access requirements and dismantle barriers. But it would be really hard to do this without empathy, or dialogue with people with lived experience. In a previous role I interviewed visitors to an inclusive arts festival at the Wellcome Collection about their access requirements. I was amazed to discover that the entrance hall to the Wellcome is aurally overstimulating for some visitors because it is so large and sound travels across it. These insights helped to steer the Wellcome’s approach to their spaces in future. I agree that with the pressure of an academic environment accessibility can become sidetracked over time, and it is great that students and Disability Advisors are there to provide reminders and guidance. To make the learning space more inclusive, regular meetings, discussion and active listening to students about inclusion is needed to keep it embedded it within our practices.
So funny I only just saw this Anna, after writing a response to your post about going the Wellcome Collection!
Nina there is lots of say about your post, but one thing that stood out for me was the way you beautifully captured the resonance you felt with Christine Sun Kim’s narrative and your own personal reflections on caregiving, highlighting the additional challenges faced by women in balancing multiple roles and responsibilities. I couldn’t agree more, particularly where you highlighted the importance of addressing systemic barriers to accessing creative education, emphasizing very articulately ‘the transformative potential of inclusive arts education for self-actualization and how important it is to remove the barriers to access on multiple fronts’.
Additionally Nina, I appreciated your very personal connection to balancing caregiving responsibilities with professional pursuits, and the challenges inherent in that. No doubt you the intricate challenges women face in managing their various roles, (often multiple within Arts and Design), include emotional strain, financial stress, and the impact on work-life balance. By highlighting the intersectionality of caregiving with other aspects of women’s lives, such as professional commitments and personal well-being, you underscore the complex realities that individuals, particularly women with disabilities, navigate on a daily basis. I note how your experience showcases the power of empathy in driving collective change. Your post really emphasizes the need for acknowledgment and support for caregivers, particularly women, in managing the multifaceted challenges they encounter. By recognizing the intersections of caregiving with disability and other identity factors, you contribute to a deeper understanding of the diverse experiences and needs within caregiving communities, ultimately advocating for greater awareness and support for caregivers in our society.