By Chally on 17 February, 2010
A couple of days ago, Australian investigative journalism television program Four Corners aired a story called Breaking Point. It covers some of recent Australian disability rights history, personal stories from many individuals and families, discussion of a proposed national disability support scheme, differences between the UK and Australian systems, all sorts of things. It’s rather [...]
Posted in history, politics, television | Tagged australia
By Anna on 14 January, 2010
This is, of course, completely untrue, but there was a concentrated effort to ensure that Keller’s accomplishments were ignored. “Radical Marxist” isn’t as nice a story as “deaf-blind woman overcomes”.
Posted in anna history rants, anna rants, biography, disability activism, feminism, history | Tagged anna rants, helen keller, history, women's history month
By Anna on 4 January, 2010
Today is World Braille Day!
Were I a more organized person, I would now present you with a scrupulously researched history of Braille, deep insights into the so-called “War of the Dots”, and a wonderful interlude on the use of raised text in the Halifax School for the Blind.
Posted in history | Tagged blind, braille, history
By Anna on 13 December, 2009
Obviously I have quoted this for truth because I’m an historian and I’m often questioned on why I consider the history I do to be both political and activist in nature. And, this is (in part) why.
Posted in anna history rants, history, Quotations | Tagged history, quote
By Anna on 9 December, 2009
But still. Lane didn’t write the first book about deafness from the POV of actual deaf people (Lane is Hearing – he cites Jack R Gannon’s book as the first history written by someone who was Deaf), but he wrote the one that launched a thousand ships, so to speak. He challenged, quite viciously, the idea that deafness was something to be “conquered”, and argued that a deaf-focused history was necessary.
Posted in anna history rants | Tagged Deaf, history
By Anna on 7 December, 2009
There’s a word to describe these sorts of histories: meliorist. Things Were Bad! Then! Something Awesome Happened! Then! Things Were Better! I think this is how history tends to be taught, because it’s very Feel Good. It’s also very plodding and doesn’t reflect the nuances of history. Was the CNIB a good thing? I don’t know, but I do know a lot of blind people in Canada hate it. (I need to do more research to understand why, because I don’t actually know.) Was the Halifax School for the Blind made of awesome? I don’t know, but I do know they did a lot of things in an attempt to be “good” and seem to have been founded by actual blind people. (A step above the folks who ultimately founded the School for the Deaf, for what that’s worth. I’m really excited to learn more of the history of the school.)
Posted in anna history rants, history | Tagged history
By lauredhel on 12 November, 2009
Olde-tyme Hoydenizens may remember that I wrote about Keiko Fukuda back in 2007, in the Friday Hoyden feature. Fukuda is probably the most knowledgeable and accomplished judoka alive, the last living student of Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo. Geekfeminism has an update on Fukuda Sensei, with a snippet of film from documentary “Be Strong, [...]
Posted in biography, feminism, history
By s.e. smith on 11 November, 2009
Today is Remembrance Day/Veterans Day/Poppy Day/Armistice Day, depending on where you are; for USians, it is Veterans Day, and an opportunity to honor American veterans. I come from a family with a long history in the military, on my father’s side. Both of my grandparents were in the Navy during the Second World War, my [...]
Posted in biography, history, introspective, military | Tagged disabled american veterans, family, veterans
By lauredhel on 8 November, 2009
I’m hoping The Retrospectoscope will be a series, if readers are interested. Here I hope to pull little bits out of a whole lot of historical medical and health texts. Feel free to discuss as you like. The bias will be toward Western books from the 17th to 19th century, as that’s what’s in my [...]
Posted in history, retrospectoscope
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