February 24, 2020 - 11:12
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In our last class and in my past two blog posts, we've talked about how academic thinking and stances towards disabled individuals such as the thoughts of Peter Singer can come across or are in fact violent and oppressive towards those disabled people in question. Whether you agree with Singer's theory or not, it can I think be agreed on by both sides or anywhere in between that the tone assumed by Singer in his writing on the subject is cold and disconnected, most likely because that is what we are taught academic writing has to be; some theory removed from reality that tries to exsist in a practical non-messy bubble. In the introduction to "Mad at School" by Margaret Price, the author addresses how this expectation for academics as productive, always-on type individuals excludes so many others who have disabilities in college, specifically mental ones. "The instruments of exclusion are not visible or dramatic- men in white coats dragging people away- but quite, insidious: we flunk out a drop out. we fail to get tenure... we find a way to get a job or degree elsewhere; or not...a sharp rhetorical divide exists between those who are allowed in and those who are not" (6, Price). This is so relevant to my own experience at Bryn Mawr and the experiences of countless friends I've had here who have had to leave this place because their mental health and the structure of higher education was not compatible. This quote will also be included in my midterm project because it represents a throughline of thinking I want to continue pursuing to challenege the structures surronding us. I would like to hear other student's thoughts on this as well.