“Body normativity” refers to the system that standardizes qualities such as youth, athleticism, whiteness and masculinity. In her analysis, these bodies are portrayed as the ideal, while all others are considered inferior and flawed. In addition, Henning argues that while normative perspectives on the body are pervasive, they are also socially and culturally constructed, meaning they can be changed.
My first article in The Wire was one about bathroom justice. It analyzed how public bathrooms are few and far between in most cities, and how when they do exist, they’re hardly ever accessible or maintained.
“We hope that students who participated in the campaign will think about and prioritize accessibility in their daily lives and become advocates for the creation of more accessible communities, both now and in the future,” Becker said.
An accessible public toilet can accommodate as many types of people as possible, meaning that it should be free, gender-neutral, large enough to fit anyone of any size or mobility status and compliant with the standards set out by the ADA. It should also be well-maintained in both cleanliness and function.
The deliberate ignorance from the college is something Grace and other disabled students experience routinely, and is something the school refuses to admit to. These tactics of suppression solidify the already predisposed notion of American hegemony by establishing the concept of normalcy designed to classify people with disabilities as deviant members of society.
“Something that is so looked over when it comes to disability rights, is just talking about it. If we can just poke the bear in some way to get a conversation started about ramps, that is 10 steps further than we have been,” Hardy said.
June 9, 2019. Ali Stroker wins Best Featured Actress in a Musical at the 73rd Annual Tony Awards. An actor, singer, and wheelchair user, Ali Stroker has been a trailblazer for disability representation on the stage. She was the first wheelchair user to graduate from the Tisch School of the Arts Drama Department at New York University. In 2015, she was the first wheelchair user to appear on Broadway, starring as Anna in the musical, Spring Awakening. For her performance as Ado Annie Carnes in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, Oklahoma!, Stroker became the first wheelchair user to win a Tony Award in 2019.
Take the quiz: Check Your Ableism!
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