South Asia and Disability Studies: Redefining Boundaries and Extending Horizons

Description

Incorporating scholarship that addresses the social, economic, cultural, and historical facets of the experience of disability in South Asia, this book presents the reader with a comprehensive, cogent, and nuanced view of the constructions of disability in this region. In doing so, it focuses on the lived experiences of people with disabilities and their families, analyzing such disabling barriers as poverty, caste, and other inequities that limit their access to education, employment, equity, and empowerment. It addresses the interpretations of disability within different South Asian contexts including policy, family, educational systems, films, and literary narratives. Situated in an interdisciplinary perspective that spans areas such as cultural studies, law, disability studies in education, sociology, and historiography, South Asia and Disability Studies presents a rich and complex understanding of the disability experience in South Asia. The organization of topics parallels the discourse in areas within disability studies such as identity construction, language, historical constructions of disability, and cultural representations of disability. Cover Contents Preface References Acknowledgments About the Cover Artist A Note on Language and Terminology Section I Introduction Chapter 1 South Asia and Disability Studies: Time for a Conversation (Shridevi Rao & Maya Kalyanpur) Tensions and Possibilities Considering a Reciprocal Relationship Situating the Conversation Section I: Introduction Section II: South Asia Disability Policy Section III: Understanding Historical and Cultural Contexts of Disability in South Asia Section IV: Identity and Constructions of Disability in South Asia Section V: Conclusion References Chapter 2 Charting the Landscape of Disability Studies in South Asia (Shridevi Rao) Disability Studies: Tracing the Roots The Social Model of Disability The Social Constructionist Model of Disability Postcolonial Theory and Disability Studies Disability Studies, Disability Studies in Education, and South Asia:Origins and Debates Transfer of Western Special Education Discourse and Technology Cultural and Indigenous Interpretations of Disability Disability and Development References Section II South Asia Disability Policy Chapter 3 Mind the Gap: Special Education Policy and Practice in India in the Context of Globalization (Maya Kalyanpur) The Context of Globalization The Contextual Gap The Temporal Gap Globalization and Educational Systems Emphasis on English as a Medium of Instruction The Use of Universal Standards for Assessment The Consequences of Not Minding the Gap References Chapter 4 The Terrain of Disability Law in Sri Lanka: Obstacles and Possibilities for Change (Fiona Kumari Campbell) Disability in Sri Lanka Global Contexts Law in Sri Lanka Fundamental Rights (Chapter III) Disability Law in Sri Lanka Frameworks Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (No. 28 of 1996) A Disability Rights Bill and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Legal Mobilisation and Public Interest Conclusion Note References Chapter 5 Gender Sensitivity in Disability Initiatives: Perspectives on South Asia (Chitra Gurung) Disability and Gender Women with Disabilities in Asia Poverty and Women with Disabilities in Asia Gender and Disability in Development Empowerment of Women through Program Activities Disability Awareness Socioeconomic Empowerment Rights and Advocacy Health Promotion and Rehabilitation “Fixing” the Disability Implications for Women with Disabilities in South Asia Employability and Vocational Rehabilitation Structural Exclusion Barriers to Accessibility Integrating Disability in Women’s Agenda Women with Disabilities in Development Caregiving Conclusion References Section III Understanding Historical and Cultural Contexts of Disability in South Asia Chapter 6 Studying Responses to Disability in South Asian Histories: Approaches Personal, Prakrital and Pragmatical (M. Miles) Introduction Targets and Near-Misses Dodging Cross Disciplinarians? Soothing the Critical Tendency Casting Forth Demons Disability Historiography Reciprocal Viewpoint? Interpretation Bite-Sized Chunks Modest Conclusion Acknowledgment References Addendum in 2013 to Chapter 6 (M. Miles) References Updated URLs Chapter 7 Corporeality and Culture: Theorizing Difference in the South Asian Context (Shilpaa Anand) Problems of Concept, Questions of History Toward a Reconceptualization of Corporeality in Non-Western Contexts Sitala Affect and Corporeality Giving, Detachment, and the Corporeal Space and Corporeality Conclusion References Chapter 8 Colloquial Language and Disability: Local Contexts and Implications for Inclusion (Shridevi Rao) Discourse on Disability Labels and Nomenclature in the North Discourse on Disability Labels and Nomenclature in the South Method Findings “Inconvenience” in the Colloquial Form Disability as an “Inconvenience” Colloquial Language and Varying Interpretations of Intelligence Discussion References Section IV Identity and Constructions of Disability in South Asia Chapter 9 Disability, Gender and Education: Exploring the Impact of Education on the Lives of Women with Disabilities in Pakistan (Tehmina Hammad & Nidhi Singal) Women with Disabilities in Southern Context—An Overview Disability in Pakistan Developing a Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Lives of Women with Disabilities Research Methodology Educational Profile of Women with Disabilities Educational Experiences Educational Outcomes Discussion Understanding Educational Outcomes through a Capabilities Lens Acknowledgments References Chapter 10 “Just a Member of the Neighborhood”: Bengali Mothers’ Efforts to Facilitate Inclusion for Their Children with Disabilities within Local Communities (Shridevi Rao) Inclusive Education: Global and Local Discourse Building Ties of Affection Building a Relationship with the Children Encouraging Ties of Affection Amongst the Children Providing a Context to Bring the Children Together Fighting Street Battles “I Spoke to Goutom’s Conscience and Not Goutom!”: Evoking the Humaneness in People who Exclude “Tell Me Who is Really Abnormal Here?” Challenging Labels The Neighborhood as a Family “He is the Son of a Cultured Man”: Evoking a Valued Status Discussion References Chapter 11 Disability and Modernity: Bringing Disability Studies to Literary Research in India (Shilpaa Anand) Being Animal, Becoming “Disabled” Modernizing Disability Subjectivity Narrating Disability Conclusion References Chapter 12 Body, Behavior, Boundaries, and Belonging: Disability in Contemporary Bollywood Films (Shridevi Rao) Bollywood Films and Disability Images A “Guzaarish” (Request) for Euthanasia The Disabled Body as a “Cage”—Visual Rhetorics and Enshrining the Able Body Whose Voice is it Anyway? A Discourse on “Euthanasia” in an Amorphous Cultural and Social Narrative My Name is Khan Bollywood and its Gaze on the Autistic Body and Behaviors Autistic Savant and Narrative Prosthesis in My Name is Khan Conclusion References Section V Conclusion Chapter 13 Conclusion (Maya Kalyanpur & Shridevi Rao) What are the Notions and Language of Disability in South Asia? What Analytical Lenses to Use? Who Conducts the Research? How is the Research Being Conducted and Presented? What is the Significance of This Research? References Contributors Index