tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441879018104058806.post2808670138768261925..comments2023-06-14T06:45:37.131-04:00Comments on Perfectly Imperfecta: Regarding 'More' or 'Less' DisabledAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14176470238001083777noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441879018104058806.post-49034080655922276602012-08-23T13:28:27.156-04:002012-08-23T13:28:27.156-04:00Great question Haley! (p.s. I miss you so much!! W...Great question Haley! (p.s. I miss you so much!! Wish we could be talking about this in person!) I definitely struggle with this myself because I still have that inclination to "pass" as 'normal' or 'less disabled.' In my attempt to be more conscious about what I'm saying, I am maybe overly cautious.. and have a tendency to default to 'medical lingo' as much as I dislike using it. So instead of saying "I have a lot more mobility than others with my type of OI" I have said "With the type of OI that I have, I have been able to ... but there are varying types of OI that make each OI person's experience different." <br /><br />It's a muddled line between how much 'fact' can we comfortably rely on to explain our identity - whether they are different or shared. I also think it has a lot to do with the manner in which we're talking with someone else. Simply explaining our experiences vs. expounding on generalities I think involves in a different tone of voice for each. <br />And finally, while I do think it's important that we acknowledge difference within disability - I don't think it can be done until that person recognizes his/her own identity as a disabled person. I think this way it's easier to recognize who you are while being a member of the larger disability community. <br /><br />(Also -- I'm so sorry that I never got back to you about the OIF feedback paper. Have you sent it? I hope I didn't hold you back on sending it! Let me know if you get any responses. Happy happy start of the semester & school year!!!)<br />Smiles,<br />Sandy Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14176470238001083777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2441879018104058806.post-46554265212084839392012-08-19T10:43:02.004-04:002012-08-19T10:43:02.004-04:00As always, this is so insightful. I have certainly...As always, this is so insightful. I have certainly compared my own 'severity' to someone else's in conversation on many occasions. Part of me wants to do so to acknowledge that we all are coming from different experiences, and so as not to sound presumptuous by claiming to understand or speak to the experiences and kinds of oppressions that a different person, with a different physicality, different needs, different experience of disability (or even, of OI), might face. But your post makes me wonder if part of my doing so is also connected to some residual desire to associate with "less disabled" or "normal," or at least, if it could appear that way to others. I am going to be more conscious about the way I talk about this. How important do you think it is to acknowledge difference within disability, and how can we do that thoughtfully while also uniting under a shared identity? <br /><br />love<br />haleyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com