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Things have come to a dismal pass for disabled people in Britain. That this country, once seen as a pioneer in the promotion of human rights (admittedly you have to go back to the 1950s and 60s for that, but … Continue reading
Category Archives: Disability & Ableism
By Leah D. Smith (Director of Public Relations, Little People of America) and Joseph A. Stramondo (Assistant Teaching Professor, Health Administration Department, Drexel University College of Nursing and Health Professions) A middle-aged man who decided to commute to work through … Continue reading
The first to be singled out for systematic murder by the Nazis were the mentally ill and intellectually disabled. By the end of World War II, an estimated 300,000 of them had been gassed or starved, their fates hidden by … Continue reading
A complication of transnational surrogacy: what happens when the contracting couple/parent(s) decide after birth that they do not want the child? In this case, one of two twins carried by a surrogate was born with Down syndrome. His “healthy” sister … Continue reading
This is so wonderful and so sane. Her son is her SON. My daughter is my DAUGHTER. That is the most important thing for us. They are our wonderful children and not the imperfect people others insist they are. … Continue reading
This is so wonderful and so sane. Her son is her SON. My daughter is my DAUGHTER. That is the most important thing for us. They are our wonderful children and not the imperfect people others insist they are. … Continue reading
Over at Feministing, Katie has a pretty solid analysis of the recent case of a woman in an independent living facility who was unambiguously raped by a male employee. After reporting the rape, to which the perpetrator confessed, the survivor … Continue reading
In the wake of Adrienne Asch’s passing, I take the opportunity to share some of my thoughts about the contributions of disability studies to my teaching. I teach an introductory class in ethics and the goal is to get the … Continue reading
Several weeks ago, I heard an interesting report on visualizing pain on NPR’s “Morning Edition.” Here’s their published article on the story:
“Doctors Use Brain Scans To ‘See’ And Measure Pain”
The notion of objectively measuring the subjective is compelling. Evidence for ephemeral sensations like pain offers potentials for verifying experiences of particularly vulnerable patient populations. Accounts by patients whose experiences are often doubted or denied — patients like women, children, people with disabilities — can gain veracity through visible displays in brain scans. In this article, the AP notes special benefits for those who might literally lack a voice or the communication abilities to report pain: babies, people with dementia, people with paralysis that impedes speech. The AP also identifies potential benefits in understanding neurological differences between, say, physical and emotional pain, and in developing new treatments that act more directly on specific pain mechanisms and reduce dangers of addiction to medication.
Continue readingThe “Ashley treatment” (as Ashley’s parents and doctors have dubbed it) is a combination of hormone treatments and surgical procedures that Ashley, then a six-year old girl with profound cognitive and physical disabilities, underwent with the aim of attenuating the growth and inhibiting aspects of sexual development. The procedure involves treatment with massive does of estrogen, and the removal of breast buds and uterus (leaving ovaries in place). The parents requested these procedures and the doctors consented on the grounds that keeping Ashley small, given her profound disabilities, would allow the family to continue to care for Ashley at home and involve her in family activities. The treatment raised a great deal of concern and disapproval but Ashley’s parents and physicians defended the treatment and even encouraged other parents because they believed that it would help other parents who were struggling with the care of children like Ashley (who they call their “pillow angel”). This has reemerged as an issue because of reports, published in the Guardian, that the procedure is being carried out in the United Kingdom. Peter Singer was invited to respond to an article in the Guardian. The following is a letter I wrote to the editors, which they never published. I am delighted to have a forum to publish the response, as well as express my regret that the only voice that was given expression was that of Singer.
Continue to read the letter…
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