lizziewordham

The Power of Language Surrounding Disability as Presented in Stuart Murray’s Autism

Lizzie Wordham

Stuart Murray’s Autism covers a broad spectrum of topics from history of the condition to controversies surrounding it to gender statistics. In a couple different chapters, Murray touches on the dangers of certain language that is used with autism and the dangerous affects it can have. Referring to autism as an “illness” or a “disease” as opposed to a condition causes autism to be seen as something that must be healed or cured. This type of language is harmful to the autistic community, as it directs autism studies away from focuses of understanding or learning and instead towards potentially invasive procedures and a lack of acceptance by nondisabled people. This language also can make it more difficult for families to connect to their autistic family member. It is important to the wellbeing of autistic people that we think of autism instead as a unique part of humanity, instead of referring to it as something that needs to be removed.

Referring to autism as an illness puts the condition in an enveloping category that skews the true definition of autism. As Murray writes, “the baggy nature of this word allows for the easy crossover between illness and a neurobehavioral condition such as autism” (37). Thinking of autism under the terms of an illness rather than a condition influences the way it is dealt with. Instead of being thought of as something unique that can provide new information about humans and influence what we know about the qualities of humanity, this language redirects study of autism to focus on trying to fix it. This type of approach to autism, finding a cure, influences the type of care and autistic person may get. The families of an autistic person may view the condition as problematic, which in turn would affect their treatment of and attitude towards their autistic family member when that family member would have benefitted simply from being engaged in and loved by their family.

The idea of searching for a “cure” for autism has resulted in numerous organizations that seek to lessen the symptoms or actually remove the autism from a person’s body. Murray writes about one in particular called Generation Rescue (91). This organization uses language such as “heal” or “rescue” your son from autism. This type of language puts distance between the families and their autistic child. It seeks to separate the child from the condition and makes it seem as though quality of the child’s life is hindered because of it. Language like this distances a family from connecting with their autistic child, as it paints autism as some kind of barrier between them and their child’s true self. Another organization that Murray writes about, called Son-Rise, revolves around language that pertains to resurrection or exorcism. He observes that the idea of “purging the body to remove the condition… creates an idea of autism as either a toxin or some form of malevolent presence” (Murray 93). This lexicon used by organizations like this makes autism sound very negative and can result in treatment of autistic children that is uncomfortable and unnecessary.

Not only can language like “cure” or “illness” create distance between an autistic person and their family, but it can subject the autistic patient to procedures that are painful and jarring. There are rituals, injections, and creams that are meant to either lessen symptoms or remove the autism from the body, but none have been proven to work. It is the hopefulness of the family that it will work that causes them to participate in procedures and products that are not proven to be effective by scientists (Murray 94). Murray reminds his readers that “those who are autistic themselves often view the curing or healing debates with a mixture of hostility and resigned weariness” (94). This in itself implies that attempting to rid an autistic person of their autism is more the desire of the family than the autistic person. This desire of families of autistic children is influenced greatly by the types of language they have been exposed to surrounding autism, displaying yet again why it is so problematic.

Negative and incorrect language in reference to autism results in a lack of understanding by the nondisabled community. Murray points out that the autism condition is “one of developmental delay” (94). Family members of autistic children will convince themselves that certain procedures are working because they’ll see differences in their child’s abilities. What they haven’t been taught to understand is that, “like all children, children with autism will grow up” (Murray 94). If the families of autistic children instead took the time to learn about the condition instead of attempt to suppress it, they could understand that their autistic loved one will grow and develop like any other child, just on their own timeline and in their own unique way. This is why negative language is so harmful to the autistic community—its affects the way their family members view their condition and results in a lack of understanding. Autism is a human condition, as Murray reminds his readers several times throughout his book, and should be viewed as something uniquely human.

In closing, autism is a developmental condition, not an illness. Words such as “illness” or “disease” cause it to often fall under a category of illnesses that it does not belong to. Words like “cure,” “rescue,” “fix,” and even “heal” depict the condition as something that is wrong and needs to be gotten rid of. This language is harmful to the autistic community for many reasons. It results in potentially uncomfortable procedures, it prevents true understanding of autism by the nondisabled communities, and it can result in a distancing of family members from their autistic loved one. It is important that this type of language surrounding autism is changed and replaced with something that benefits the autistic community, focusing instead on understanding and acceptance. This implementation of more positive and thought-provoking language should improve relationships between autistic people and their families, direct autism studies in a more productive and progressive direction, and give autistic people the rights and treatment they need and deserve.

Word Count: 1019

Works Cited

Murray, Stuart. Autism. The Routledge Series Integrating Science and Culture, 2011.

Major Project Write-Up

Lizzie Wordham

For my song, I was hesitant to sing from the point of view of someone who is disabled, as I am not and didn’t want to misrepresent. However, after our various readings I felt like I had somewhat of a grasp on some of the particular struggles and felt that I would be able to represent some of them. I think the main goal of my song was to display the disconnect between the able-bodied community and the disabled, as well as how a disabled person may want others to treat them. During class, one of the members of my small group shared that they tried not to hold certain things against able-bodied people, as they often don’t know how to act around disabled people. In this write up, I will pull out specific lines and verses and explain their meaning to me and how they relate to class material. I have put the lyrics at the end for reference.

In the most recent book we’ve read for class, Autism, Murray writes that “In trying to explain or describe the experience of having autism, one of the most oft-repeated assertions is that it is like being an alien” (102). Although I was trying to portray a more general sense of disability rather than autism in particular, I feel that this does a good job explaining how a disabled person may feel in regards to being different. In my first two stanzas (I am calling them stanzas as opposed to verses because I believe the song reads as more of a poem), I was trying to represent some internal dialogue that a disabled person may have in response to an able-bodied person’s reaction to them. Wondering what they might be thinking about them, what they should say, whether they should be offended or hurt by the reaction, etc. The Kenny Fries poem, “Excavation,” that we read earlier in the semester was some of my inspiration for this part as it is a person reflecting on their own disability and recalling what society has called them. The line in my song that reads “Is there something that you’re looking for” relates to a line from a Bartlett poem we read for class: “to be crippled means to have access to people’s fear of their own eroding.” The narrator is reading into what able-bodied people are trying to get out of looking at them.

The third stanza was inspired by the in-class discussions that I mentioned earlier. I was showing a disabled person who is trying to recognize that others feel different and lonely, too, although in a way that is completely different than their experience. It is someone trying to be understanding of others despite the majority not understanding them.

My ideas for the fourth stanza came from a few different places. Although I was emphasizing the disconnect between able-bodied and disabled communities, I also wanted to include the first two lines to show that although a disabled person may feel disabled around others who are unlike them, their disability is normal to them and all they know. The lines “Am I really that different? Is there something that’s missing?” are meant to demonstrate the familiarity a disabled person has with their own bodies, and not feeling like there is something about them that needs to change. There is a line in Sheila Black’s poem “What You Mourn” that addresses how she would have felt about her disabled body had her legs never been straightened. It reads “…I would have nested in it, made it my home.” Later in the poem she says about her disabled body, “I loved it as you love your own country.”

The second half of this stanza refers to something we talked about in class—the exploitation of disabled people to “inspire” or “motivate” nondisabled people. I was trying to write that motivation doesn’t come from differentiating yourself from another person. Instead, it comes from the actions taken to be better. Instead of able-bodied people being motivated to do something with their lives because they saw a disabled person who did, they should take action to be accommodating to, understanding of, and educated about communities that are different than their own. This leads me to the next two lines of my song, “There could be some changes so I am not a stranger.” I wanted this to read as a sort of call-to-action towards able bodied people to take steps to understand the disabled community. The person singing my song is asking others to learn about them. All communities being educated on disability can increase familiarity and lessen the disconnect. That’s what could happen if, as Murray writes, “the alien and the human are not held apart but actually inform each other” (103).

The final stanza has the most meaning to me personally. One of my and my college friends’ favorite things to do was stay up late and play the game Taboo. We liked to bake cakes, get groceries together, and listen to silly music. I included these things because, to the majority, they are considered “normal” things to do. However, I wanted to emphasize that “normal” or “typical” activities like these are not limited to only able-bodied people. I wanted to emphasize that the disabled community is not different in their enjoyment of simple things like games and music. I think this stanza was significant for the song to demonstrate the importance of recognizing both the differences of able-bodied and disabled communities along with the things that make us the same. The final line is the narrator of the song wanting others to recognize what they want from them: to make efforts to understand them and learn about their community.

Lyrics:

I don’t what I should say

When people turn and look my way

Is there something that you can’t ignore or something that you’re looking for

It feels rude when you ignore me

But when you smile is it pity

When you stare what are thinking

if I feel mad then that seems petty but I do, I do

But I don’t know what I expect from you

There are things that I can try

When people stare or people smile

Cause I know others feel alone

But there are some who’ll never know

Am I really that different

Is there something that’s missing

Cause

Motivation inspiration they don’t come from separating me and you, oh you

Those things will come from what you do

But there could be some changes

So I am not a stranger

Cause there’s birthdays and making cakes and movies nights and grocery dates and music we should probably hate and finding things to celebrate and sometimes staying up too late and playing games like taboo

And those are things that I expect from you

Lizzie Wordham’s Response to Jennifer Weise’s “Nondisabled Demands”

Jennifer Weise’s poem “Nondisabled Demands” details in a witty and somewhat satirical way the ignorance of nondisabled people. She implies that this demographic of unaware, privileged people particularly includes straight men who appear to be physically able, as she writes that “Everyone knows the default mode of a poem is ten toes, ten fingers, in love with women and this nation.” Aside from pointing out their ignorance, Weise also brings attention to the fact that nondisabled people tend to assume ableness of everyone they meet who isn’t obviously disabled. She is stating that if a nondisabled person fails to be aware of another person’s limitations, it is the fault of the disabled person for not speaking up and making their disabilities known. This is demonstrated in lines six and seven, where she writes “You can’t expect people to read you if you don’t come out and say it.” The reader can assume that this is the voice of the nondisabled community speaking to a disabled person.

In addition to pointing out the ignorance of nondisabled people, highlighting a particular part of the nondisabled demographic, and bringing attention to nondisabled people’s tendency to assume ableness, Weise’s poem also details how nondisabled people consistently put disabled people in the spotlight for their own entertainment and inspiration. Lines thirteen and fourteen include the words “We’ll rope you to the podium.” The use of “rope” implies forcefulness as well as a lack of choice for the disabled person being forced in front of a podium to speak. The “podium” suggests attention being put on one person in front of an audience. Weise uses this line to suggest that the “we,” nondisabled people, will push people with disabilities in front of an audience to speak, whether the disabled person truly wants to or not. A couple lines down, Weise writes that if that disabled person refuses to speak and answer questions, the nondisabled people will “call [their] doctor.” This is a powerful line that can be interpreted many ways. If a disabled person chooses not to speak for themselves and nondisabled people turn to their doctor for answers, this implies that the doctor has the capacity to accurately speak for their patient. The doctor, however, likely only knows the medical side of that disabled person’s life, therefore only being able to detail that one aspect of their life and personality. If this is all the doctor is able to convey, nondisabled people miss out on everything else that makes up that disabled person’s personality and equates the entirety of that person’s value to their disability.

Weise’s poem accurately portrays a lot of the behavior of nondisabled people towards the disabled community. She details their ignorance, their assumptions, and their forcefulness. The third sentence in the poem that begins “We have an uncle with a disability” also draws attention to the way nondisabled people attempt to relate to people with disabilities by using their experiences with a family member, when in reality a nondisabled person can never truly know the experience of having a disability without living it. Weise uses her poem to call out the nondisabled people on their ignorance, force them to be aware of it, and encourage them to take the steps necessary to become more aware and inclusive of the disabled community.

Word Count: 550

I hereby declare upon my word of honor that I have neither given nor received unauthorized help on this work.