Download - 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