Connotation is Everything

In Barton's "Textual Practices of Erasure" she delves deeply into the human creation of the term "disability" and the implications for those who are disabled as well as implications for how the public views disability. I think the way she explores the connotation of the word disability is interesting and reflects some of the other theorist's views from our readings. Burke understands man as symbol using animals and the inventor of the negative, which is extremely apparent in the creation of the term "disabled."

Barton's quotation of Carol Gill here is interesting to me because it seems to neglect the literal way we have named people with disabilities. The quote reads, "Society would accept [the experience of] 'disability culture,' which would in turn be accepted as part of 'human diversity'" (Barton 170). Barton goes on to acknowledge that being labeled disabled is to be labeled as "other than'' or "less than." I think disability is hard to be considered as being equal to other humans because of the word "disabled" in and of itself. If you are disabled, you are quite literally "not abled." People who are not abled to perform tasks like children, the elderly, and the handicapped are equally seen as inferior.

I think in order to remedy some of the erasure that occurs, the disabled may need a new name. What's in a name? Quite everything. Disabled, handicapped, crippled, disadvantaged, incapacitated. These are all names associated with those with disabilities. Most include literal negative word parts like "dis" and "in." How can a group of people who are constantly described in a negative manner be seen in a positive light? It's a little wrong to stigmatize all people with disabilities as being disabled. This sort of brings me to Barton's example of the "supercrip," but it is true that many of those who are seen as "disadvantaged" by birth are capable of accomplishing a lot more than some "normal" human beings do. I agree it is wrong to stereotype the definition of an ordinary human life. I believe many handicapped don't strive for an ordinary human life, they strive for an extraordinary life by their own standards.

You and I would never say we strive for ordinary lives so why would a disabled person? In this aspect I think that campaigns have improved at expressing the complexity of living with disabilities through social media and technology. Video ads and campaigns are more common and often go viral. They are also more complex and able to depict more fully the life of someone who is disabled. In a way I still think they create a rift between normal people and the disabled but they have come a long way in encapsulating handicapped life.

On the other hand, there are many points where I slightly disagree with Barton's point of view. I have to ask myself if erasure and simplification are almost the same thing? Simplification is not always a bad thing. The strategical use of symbols, terms, and words are a way of simplifying the things we will never be able to fully express. And although the United Way is a charity they are still a business. They need to advertise a streamlined image of who they are and what they do in order to attract donations. This might not be acceptable because it does create erasure but it will always be difficult to completely capture the complexities of living a disabled life in a marketable manner.

I do agree that the United Way does segregate the disabled as being otherly. This does, in fact, limit the public's inclination to challenge the norms they are expressing. Additionally, it limits the role of those that are handicapped by seeing them as mere beneficiaries. The disabled community inspires and gives just as much, if not more than the "normal" community does. There is always a danger in the us versus them perspective on matters. In this sense a simplification of things is not acceptable.

Again, I have to present another challenge in reading this text. Although it was published in 2001, I find it to be extremely dated. I'd like to grasp a better understanding of how the United Way's campaigns have developed in more recent years. I look forward to our case study because social media, video, and the internet have been an amazing tool in helping people to come to terms with the experience of human life in its many forms. It is a lot easier to express complexities in video form than it is in a two-dimensional print advertisement form.