Saturday, August 16, 2014

A question for discussion - Chad Clark

A question posted by Chad Clark, a student at United Theological Seminary, reposted with permission. He is requesting comments:

What do you think about this?


Disabilities is more a byproduct of society than an imperfection of the body/mind. Rather than primarily viewing disabilities as something less than an ideal (and often arbitrary) conception of the way human beings are supposed to operate and think, disabilities are created by those in power who shape and form reality to accommodate themselves (the majority who are in power).
Stairs were a terrible invention that were built to empower to those who can walk and disempower those who cannot.
Examples:
Imagine a world in which the majority of people used wheelchairs. Cars would be built to accommodate the use of wheelchairs and not people who could walk. You would roll into your car, lock your wheelchair in place, operate the vehicle with your hands, etc. The person who could walk could not use the car because cars do not come equipped with seats.
Imagine how sports games would be developed in a world in which the majority of people did not walk. As we know them, no one would have created football, soccer, volleyball, etc. All games would accommodate people in wheelchairs. People who walk would be "low functioning" in that society, unless of course they were good at the games in this world, in which case they would become an "object of inspiration" for that society.

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