Politics of Disabled Bodies

Welcome to the first edition of the Humanities Newsletter. In this newsletter we will show you how you can apply what you learn in your lessons to the real world. The very first edition of the Humanities Newsletter is produced entirely by Humanities A‐ Level students. Students from all disciplines — Anthropology, History, Psychology, Sociology, Government and Politics and Geography — have been working hard for the last two weeks to produce this newsletter. In this first edition, we are focusing on people with physical and mental disabilities. The Olympic and Paralympic games in London have inspired many young people to strive to be the best in their respective sporting competitions. Through hard work and dedication, humans are able to achieve extraordinary feats. The Paralympics in London were the most successful games to date. In this newsletter we explore how the human body can be used to understand a range of different issues. We look at how humans modify their bodies and for what reasons; explore psychological explanations of eating disorders such as anorexia; discuss the history of Paralympics; examine how conflict can cause disability; understand legislation in the UK surrounding disability; and look at the attitudes of society towards disabled people. Students have also interviewed two new members of the Humanities department, Ms. Jones who teaches Social Sciences, and Ms. Hayward, who teaches History and Anthropology, so that you know who will be teaching you. It is very exciting to share with you all what we can learn in the Humanities Department at Heston Community School. We hope you enjoy reading the Humanities Newsletter. Ms. Jones and Mr. Maric The Music Of Love. This picture was taken in Tenganan Village, Bali (2010). Tenganan is the most famous Bali Aga (original Balinese) village and is located close to Candi Dasa in East Bali. A man was playing bamboo music to entertain a disabled child which is not his son, but he loves this child likes he loves his own son. The present formal explanation for the name "Paralympic" is that it derives from the Greek preposition παρά, pará ("beside" or "alongside") and thus refers to a competition held in parallel with the Olympic Games.[3] The Summer Games of 1988 held in Seoul was the first time the term "Paralympic" came into official use. Athletes with disabilities did compete prior to the advent of the Paralympics, alongside the able bodied. However the origins of the first organised athletics day that coincided with the Olympics took place on the opening day of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. The man credited with its creation was Dr Ludwig Guttmann. The first games were called the 1948 International Wheelchair Games. Dr. Guttmann’s aim was to create an elite sports competition for people with disabilities that would be equivalent to the Olympic Games. The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These early competitions, also known as the Stoke Mandeville Games, have been described as the precursors of the Paralympics Games. The first official summer Olympics took place in Rome 1960. To date there have been 14 summer Paralympics each one with more participants and spectators then the last showing its rising popularity. In the London 2012 Paralympics, 4,294 athletes from 164 National Paralympics Committees participated (the most ever) with most venues sold out. People often wonder why none of the participants are hearing impaired or suffer from intellectual disabilities. The reason is that they have their own IOC recognized games being the ‘Deaflympics’ and ‘Special Olympics World Games’ respectively. The Paralympics has changed the attitude of millions towards those with disabilities. It has had the effect of creating and changing legislation. It is a growing phenomenon which is still only 52 years young. The hope is that the next Paralympics in Brazil, Rio 2016 will have the same effect as those previous to it and inspire millions and change society’s attitudes in another part of the world. Al‐Ameen Velliyattil. 13A Balraj, Nav, Manika & Zarah ANTHROPOLGY OF THE BODY What should the human body look like? And what do ideas about the body say about people’s notions of culture and identity? This article explores these notions and how we use the body to present ourselves. The study of anthropology allows us to explore what it really means to be human. Body decorations can communicate a person's status in society, their identity, and differences between each other. Not all cultures share the same values and beliefs and certain body modification practices are often misunderstood or misinterpreted, even within the same setting. In the past and present the body has been reshaped in many culturally relevant ways. Some religious traditions believe marking the body is a corruption of the perfect human form designed by god. However, for some, body decoration is something that distinguishes humans from the animal world, or from other humans in different cultures. Some modifications of the body are expressed different among non‐western cultures: FOOT BINDING is used in China as a way of beautifying the female body, in China. It became popular in the 12th century and its purpose was to restrict the growth of the foot. This form of body modification was a way of expressing the beauty, wealth and discipline of a woman. It meant that women couldn’t walk properly but was considered attractive as a marriage partner because her physical impairment was suggested that she was honorable and a virgin. Foot binding begins at the age of 3‐6 and the girl’s toes apart from the big toe are folder underneath the foot and banged into position. SCARIFICATION is an invasive way of permanently marking the body through cutting the skin and is carried out as a part of a ritual. Scarification is still widely practiced across the world today in Africa and among the Australian Aboriginal peoples. Depending on the size, patterns and shape of them, the scars represent different things. For example, indicating group identity or a stage in a person’s life. In southern Sudan Nuba girls traditionally make scars on their forehead, chest and abdomen at the beginning of puberty. LIP PLATES were worn among the some people of North Africa, South and Northwest America. In Brazil however, the Kayapo men still where lip plates today, and mean different things to different tribes and cultures. A hole is sliced into the lower lip and a small object is inserted. After the hole heals around the object, it is removed and is replaced by a large plate, gradually stretching the hole. In the western society, the most common form of body modification is developed through cosmetics which are used to beautify our aesthetic appearance. More than 10 million women have a plastic procedure each year. Women tend to undergo plastic surgery more than men because in the western society women feel the pressure to look attractive. This is another way in which individuals conform to the norms of society. In western society today, the female aesthetic appearance is thought to be skinny. Males, however aspire to have a V‐shaped muscular body with a slim waist. Efforts to achieve this ideal body generally centre on exercise rather than diet. Large body size may serve as an attribute of attractiveness in men because it symbolizes health, economic success, political power, and social status. However, the socially constructed ‘ideal’ body shape often has its consequences resulting in a large number of girls suffering from anorexia. When we study society in sociology, we learn firstly about its ever‐changing norms and values. This, with a brief knowledge of history, can allow us to make the rash statement that ‘It is human nature to fear or ridicule people who appear or act different to what we consider normal.’ This statement can be proven when we look at previous conflicts in race, religion, culture and disability. In the last 50 years society’s views and attitudes towards disabled people and disability in general have changed drastically. Not too long ago, children born with disabilities ranging from physical to mental were labelled by society as ‘trouble’ and in worse cases even ‘possessed by demons.’ Due to the stigma attached to disability, many disabled new born babies were given away by their parents who could not cope with the ‘shame’ of bringing up a disabled child. Other families placed their children into institutions where the responsibility to look after their children was placed in the hands of carers, who even then, failed to acknowledge the specific needs of the children and treat them humanely. However, more positively, in recent years, society’s view of the disabled has thankfully become much more accepting. Those who are born or develop disabilities now have more support available to them from both charities and organisations, whose sole purpose is to encourage them to meet their full potential and enjoy life to the full. A missing limb is no longer a barrier stopping those with disabilities getting a well paid job, achieving a position of leadership or being a competitive athlete, whereas this wasn't the case in the later years of the 20th century. The results of a survey carried out by channel 4 for the Paralympic games show that: 82% of people asked, agreed that the coverage has helped improve society’s perception of disabled people. 82% of people also believed that disabled athletes were as talented, if not more talented, than able bodied athletes. A prime example of how society’s views towards the disabled have changed can be found in Oscar Pistorius.

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