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‘Non-disabled’ – an oxymoron? Exploring the foundations of a divisive label

‘Non-disabled’ – an oxymoron? Exploring the foundations of a divisive label. Jennifer Harris University of York. Why is the term problematic?. Few people enjoy ‘total health’ today The term is half of a dichotomy (disabled/non disabled). Cannot cope with fluctuating impairment statuses

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‘Non-disabled’ – an oxymoron? Exploring the foundations of a divisive label

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  1. ‘Non-disabled’ – an oxymoron? Exploring the foundations of a divisive label Jennifer Harris University of York

  2. Why is the term problematic? • Few people enjoy ‘total health’ today • The term is half of a dichotomy (disabled/non disabled). Cannot cope with fluctuating impairment statuses • It has divisive and exclusionary effects • ‘Non-disabled’ cast as oppressors

  3. Will the non-disabled stand up? • Term is a relational concept within social model of disability, ‘either/or’ disabled/non-disabled • Combinations of pollution, workplace stress family pressures and accidents ensure most people experience disablement over the life course • Is the term an oxymoron?

  4. Disabled/non-disabled – it’s all relative • Dichotomy cannot cope with fluctuation in impairment • As a labelling system, it is crude and misleading. • The ‘stickiness’ of labels • Are such people disabled one day and not the next?

  5. The effects of the non-disabled label • ‘Non-disability’ is associated with oppressor role • Applying this dichotomy is an over-simplification of complex relations in society • If most people experience impairment in life, then theoretically all social policies would use the social model – why not?

  6. Border crossing between disabled and non-disabled statuses • Burchardt 2000.661/2 ‘Only a small proportion of working-age people who experience disability are long- term disabled…the common perception that disabled and non-disabled people make up two entirely distinct and fixed groups in the population is misleading’

  7. Problems of ‘non-disability’ • In a given year one tenth of working age population are limited in daily activities • In a 7 year period, one quarter experience some limitation (only 10% of these are disabled throughout) • Therefore, disabled status is much more widespread than one-off surveys suggest, disabled category is more fluid than thought and ‘border crossers’ in fact form the majority of the ‘disabled’ population

  8. Conclusion • Social model theory does not adequately describe an experience of the majority classified as disabled – border crossing • Viewed from a border crossing perspective the social model is a crude analytical tool • Requirement is for a sophisticated framework that adequately describes social relations without resorting to a dichotomy

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