"When one encounters prejudice in behavior or attitude, one's impaired body 'dys-appears'. The body of a person with speech impairment 'dysappears' when faced with (socially produced) embodied norms of communication.Since these norms largely reflect the carnal information of non-disabled people, the relationship of disabled people to them is one of distinct disadvantage. The dys-appearance of the impaired body is structured by this disadvantage." (Hughes, Paterson, p. 603, 1999).
Prior to this reading I had never encountered the concept of 'dys-appearance' in the way that it was discussed and defined by Paterson and Hughes in the reading. I initially misunderstood the true meaning of the word, despite reading the entire article. I interpreted it to mean the sensation of a person being lost behind their impairments. I didn't, or couldn't quite unify the idea of "disappearance" as I know it, with the sensation of becoming hyper aware of your body. After class, and after reading the article for a second time, I began to understand the experience of dysappearance. I correlated the term to experiences in my own life; times where I had become super aware of the limitations of my body. I am not what anyone would call disabled, but I certainly was never picked first for any sports team. I lack any semblance of hand-eye coordination. I have been made aware of my lack of coordination on many occasions, and it it always followed by a period during which I am hyper-conscious about my body and its capabilities. Yet this is nothing to what it must be like for an individual to be forced to constantly encounter and acknowledge the limitations of their own body.
I took some time as I went about my day to investigate how it is that our society is formed to the carnal information of non disabled people, people largely like myself. My dorm bed is high off the ground, and being short, even I require a step stool to get into bed. An individual with difficultly climbing, walking, or holding their own body weight would be unable to sleep in my bed. My shower is built to be wheelchair accessible, but my apartment itself is accessible only by stairs, and I don't think the door to the bathroom is wide enough to let a wheelchair enter. On a day to day basis I am required to utilize the internet to read, write, analyze and access assignments. I am able to do this because I have no difficulties remaining seated for a long period of time, and have the dexterity to complete many hours of writing and typing. I take a bus several times a day, that while in theory is handicapped accessible, rarely functions in that capacity. I rarely think about it, but the majority of my life would be inaccessible to people with a variety of impairments. Prior to reading this article I don't think I'd ever thought of myself as advantaged by virtue of the capabilities of my body. Now I see that the structures that provide others with a disadvantage in society, clearly provide me with an advantage in society. I have always presumed to be on a level playing field, but it is abundantly clear that the presumption is inaccurate, and that many societal infrastructures that I perceive to be innocuous serve as structures that enable the dys-appearance of a disabled body.
Paterson, Kevin, and Bill Hughes. "Disability Studies and Phenomenology: The carnal politics of everyday life."Disability and Society 14.5 (1999): 597-610. Print.
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