[Ohio-talk] Philosophy of disability

[Kaiti Shelton]

Hi all,

One of the new things I'm trying to explore is the philosophy of
disability.  This is in several contexts, including how people from
different cultures perceive those with disabilities, what makes people
from these different cultures perceive different disabilities
differently, and how culture impacts the perceptions of a disabled
person of themself, others with their disability, and people with
other disabilities.

For my philosophy minor I have the option of taking a 400 level
seminar class or completing a capstone.  I'm thinking the capstone
will be the way I will choose to go, since it will allow me to
complete the project and the minor on my own time, and because I have
a little more freedom in choosing a topic.  It's also a way of tying
it in with music therapy, since it gives my puzzled advisor a little
more of an idea of what I'm trying to do by going for a minor in
something that seems very remotely related to my major on the surface.

I'm just beginning preliminary research, and odds are the project will
have an emphasis on blindness, but if you've had experiences when
traveling out of the country, or met someone of a different
nationality who has expressed a different view on disability or
blindness, how was it?  Do you know anyone in another country who
feels differently about their disability in response to how others
seem to perceive them?  Any feedback for consideration would be
appreciated.