Ableism

How, then, do a lot of Hindus use mobile phones? Or make things like crutches and replacement limbs?

She's talking out her rear end. <_<

It's confusing to me because the prof won't make any public statement as to what her religious objection is, so it's impossible to understand her reasoning.

She says it disrupts her inner soul (ha!) and her outer body, or some other esoteric crap.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/24/paraplegic-man-walks-with-own-legs-again

"A man who lost the use of his legs to a spinal cord injury has walked again after scientists rerouted signals from his brain to electrodes on his knees. The 26-year-old American has used a wheelchair for five years after an accident left him paralysed from the waist down. Doctors said he was the first person with paraplegia caused by a spinal injury to walk without relying on robotic limbs that are controlled manually."

I dont know where to put it so...here.

Mmm. Interesting question.

While "Overcoming a weakness" is a common thing for stories, when they are taken to those levels the messages can sometimes get smeared with the tragedy that is typical of storytelling trying to imitate reality. The more popular it is, the harder it is to relate to real life (with many variations within, of course).

I hardly believe a Blind man could learn much from Daredevil, whereas people with speech problems actually can relate better to The King's Speech

I am not saying that they need a Darker and Edgier Deconstruction, I am just saying that in real life, some of the fictional representations that tend to end in quasi magical solutions to the physical problem could not actually bring any solace to the people actually suffering from the problem

And this is a problem regarding the subject of Ableism in the sense that people with a disability might understand it like that. "Why don't you learn to do X things like Daredevil" (extreme, and silly example, but I think yo uget the gist of it) without.

edited 1st Oct '15 3:13:14 PM by Aszur

I think there are medical and science threads around somewhere. Still that's pretty awesome to hear.

Because, be blunt about it: the movies are not for disable people but using disabilities as focus in their stories, having to live with them instead of being cured is fate worse than death for many, yeah is bad as it sound.

I have a blind friend and he explained to me this way - Daredevil is one of the two extremes. He is portrayed as utterly unhindered by his blindness, which is simply unrealistic and patronizing. He is blind in name only, which is a bad way to do it. (Not to mention, having a main blind character in the medium blind people can't enjoy is tragically ironic in itself)

On the other extremes, we have characters portrayed as absolutely helpless little snowflakes, utter victims incapable of basic things, meant to inspire shallow and pretentious pity. Again, utterly wrong for obvious reasons. Blind people aren't helpless all the time, they are capable of functioning outside of their disability. Portraying them as objects of pity is as ableist as it gets.

A GOOD example of portraying a blind character would be Toph Bei Fong. While she has powers to sort of lessen her blindness, her disability still matters and she does need help in certain things. That's the balance. Portraying a person with respect, but still acknowledging they need help sometimes.

Yes, he(my blind friend) enjoyed portrayal of Toph all the way down to the jokes she made. They too serve a certain value. Showing a blind character just enjoy life, disability of all, sells a message that blindness isn't the end and you don't need to always be miserable. You can still find validation and, well, simple fun.

I remember actually seeing some movie on TV where a man was blinded and went from "helpless" to "can survive" (something that looked realistic, no Disability Superpower or anything fancy) with a blind war vet friend's training (The Training Montage included lots of tossing a metal canteen somewhere in the room and asking the guy to go fetch it by ear). Unfortunately I have no idea what its title was.

edited 3rd Oct '15 3:57:13 PM by Medinoc

I was watching a show about the Paralympic Games with my friends. One of them said "these aren't real sports. They're just there to make the disabled happy."

I wanted to disagree, but I couldn't figure out where to start.

Ask what defines a sport, see if you're friend can come up with a definition that doesn't cover them.

Also aren't all sports just there to make people happy?

Does he disapprove of weight categories for the same reason?

P.S. Also, can we remove the quotation makrs in the topic's name? It's bothersome.

edited 1st Apr '16 1:29:55 AM by Luminosity

I remember actually seeing some movie on TV where a man was blinded and went from "helpless" to "can survive" (something that looked realistic, no Disability Superpower or anything fancy) with a blind war vet friend's training (The Training Montage included lots of tossing a metal canteen somewhere in the room and asking the guy to go fetch it by ear). Unfortunately I have no idea what its title was.

Where was this set? Because if it's set in the US, one wonders why he doesn't just contact the AFB or NFB or whatever for help.

Incidently, playing fetch sounds kind of demeaning and not very helpful. Stuff like O&M and learning to use a screenreader would be much more important.

Anyway, I think the most important thing that is missing from the media is *realistic* depictions of disability. Usually it's just used as a plot inconvenience or the most terrible tragedy ever or whatever, and writers almost never do the research or don't care or play to common sterotypes.

edited 1st Apr '16 4:54:26 PM by storyyeller

It was in a foreign country (third world?) and probably dated from the 80s, so screen readers weren't exactly a priority when the movie was made).

In short, the guy was stranded in the middle of nowhere with only one friend who could help him, and definitely not in an American urban environment.

Well that makes it more reasonable then. Still you think he'd be learning stuff like cane skills or how to cook. Locating a fallen canteen by sound isn't high on the light of important life skills.

Maybe he did, it's not like I remember the entirety of the montage anyway.

so I found this webcomic writer on Twitter who happens to be deaf. I couldn't find a Deaf Troper Coven so i figured this was the best place to post.

edited 4th Apr '16 8:39:01 AM by Xopher001

Here's another one