italian disability

In Italy, six million disabled.

Many disabled relied on resources of charity from the church: depended on pity for survival

Renaissance had the ideal body: not perfect, no worth celebrating

Disability became primarily medical concern with less control from the church

o Something that went wrong with nature

Only way to solve problem was cure the body if failed, keep people out of view

Institutions main form of “assistance” usually abused and mistreated and kept hidden

Stigma of disability, that it is bad.

o People somehow deserve it? Sometimes

Medical model understands diability as personal tragedy and medical issue that must be cured

at all costs

Social model: understands disability as form of oppression: caused by one’s environment and by

systemic discrimination

Discrimination still acts as a barrier in the environment

Access to services: medical, rehab

Communication accessibility: right to info

Right to dignity: right to privacy, autonomy, decision-making, freedom from discrimination

Right to social and cultural participation

Right to sexuality and relationship

Laws:

One of the first laws in Italy that addressed disability

Everyone should have right to school in regular class, unless they are very disabled

1977:

o Actually, everyone deserves the right

1978:

o Asylums closed

1992:

o Most comprehensive anti-discrimination law

Born Twice

Fictional biography

Story ends up more about father’s learning process

First beginning focuses on biological aspects: mostly hospital stuffs

Later more about father (narrator): realizes that everyone is disabled in some way

Normaly itself is a social construct: behavior, bodily capacities, etc

o Norms change over time and different cultures

o Not universal truths, different expectation of people throughout different cultures

End of novel: father accepts son

Follows father’s way of thinking from a medical model to a social model

Allows son to develop skills he’s best at

Profumo di donna

Captain blind: poster depicts him as maniacal and crazy

Almost depicted as a fire breathing dragon

Scary

Carried over from centuries ago when disabled people connected to sin

Stefano Benni

Fleet footed Achilles

Disabled protagonist—sometimes maniacal and aggressive, looks demonic on cover

Also very sharp, brilliant writer, shows up other able bodied protagonist

Novel challenges notions of disability of helplessness

His anger comes from environment: inability to move and other people

Simona Atzori

Dancer with no arms

Sanremo 2012: in famous festival of music

Also a writer

Proliferation of a lot of limbs: her anxiety of lack of arms

Everything put together at end: still need things together to be whole

Still hidden messages about need to be whole to be normal

Sexuality and disability

Disney: forces people to face their biases of disability

Antonietta: musician and activist

o Talks about record labels accepted her as musician but wouldn’t allow her to go on

covers with wheelchair

o Her project is putting out there images of herself in wheelchair with guitar

o More people see images, more it gets normal

o Also developed persona of herself: censored mermaid

Alter ego

Mermaid is figured as sensorial and alluring and irresistible

Just because mermaid can’t walk, doesn’t mean she’s undesirable

o Also activism: against violence towards women

Mirella Santamato

o Also represents herself as mermaid

o Uses crutches: had polio as a child

o Wrote autobiography, memoirs as a child, etc

Barbara:

o Famous writer in Italy

o Wrote autobiography about her accident when she was a teen that put her in a

wheelchair

o Mermaid again and heavy vehicle in motion

o Body constructed out of technology, different kind of body

o Dealing with sexuality and disability

o Challenges stereotype about disabled people not being able to be sexy or

Documentary:

o Hard to tell that they’re disabled. Everyone similar

People not defined by disability or body; treated as equals

o Sailboat and cars imagery:

Lots of movement

Mobility and access and ability to get around

Filmmakers going to people and treating them as important, including them