The Single Dimensional Deviant: The Socialization We Receive Concerning Disabled Bodies

Abstract

The socialization process cultivates an environment where individuals can assimilate to the upheld societal beliefs and norms. When we look at this socialization process through the lens of disability, we will find a multifaceted set of beliefs that predict the treatment those with disabilities receive and the perpetuated perceptions concerning the disabled community. The media plays a sizeable role in shaping the beliefs, norms, and attitudes that wider society adheres to. Through critically analyzing the media consumed, it becomes intelligible that there is an inextricable link between disability and disadvantageous stereotypes. For instance, the films "Me Before You," directed by Thea Sharrock, and "The Green Mile," directed by Frank Darabont, possess storylines riddled with disadvantageous and ableist stereotypes that create a single-dimensional story of disability and rob those with disability of their individuality. The dispossession of those with disabilities is a historical phenomenon that is born from an undying search for perceived perfection. From this fruitless journey, there has been a focus on The Medical Model of Disability that urges those with disabilities to mobilize medical interventions to attempt to mend their disability and return their bodies to a socially acceptable or "normative" state. On the contrary, The Social Model of Disability understands disability as socially constructed and a phenomenon deemed as innately problematic due to societal attitudes and beliefs versus the disabled individuals themselves. In this presentation, we will disarticulate disability with deviance and understand the historical mechanisms that continue to feed the dehumanization of those with disabilities.