UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE THE CONCEPT OF CAPABILITY CONSCIOUSNESS: LEARNING FROM HELEN KELLER A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY By MICHAEL JAY SURBAUGH Norman, Oklahoma 2016 THE CONCEPT OF CAPABILITY CONSCIOUSNESS: LEARNING FROM HELEN KELLER A DISSERTATION APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND POLICIES STUDIES BY ___________________________ Dr. Susan Laird, Chair ___________________________ Dr. William Gardner ___________________________ Dr. John Covaleskie ___________________________ Dr. Joyce Brandes ___________________________ Dr. William Frick © Copyright by MICHAEL JAY SURBAUGH 2016 All Rights Reserved. DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my mother Sarah Esther Surbaugh 1934-2006, the poet of my heart. Invisible Hope I sometimes wonder to myself, How can these things be; What is this utter longing And restlessness in me? I am like the tide that comes and goes Just longing to be free Free but these thoughts Keep coming back to me. I look down at my children, Tucked in their little beds I see them in my future My darling sleepy heads. -Mrs. John Surbaugh, circa 1963 My mother believed in education and fought hard despite all of the limitations life imposed to make certain I receive the best education I could. Not even periodic, devastating bouts with bipolar disorder could distort my mother’s priorities, her devotion, or her loving gaze on everything I tried to do. She presumed my capabilities with the modal phrase “You can.” My father inspired my deep desire “to know” and “understand” and “reflect” – as Keller put it about herself and the sense of personhood. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ironically, I write these acknowledgements immediately after the death of Patty Duke Astin, whose illustrious career included both a stage and screen portrayal of Helen Keller in William Powell’s, “The Miracle Worker” (Gibson 2008). Astin’s death occurred the day after I defended this dissertation.* It was if another living link to Helen Keller has slipped into the night. I am thinking of photos of Astin and Keller together at Keller’s home in 1962 where Keller, whom Astin described as “a jolly grandmother,” led Astin about her garden to inspire a sensate tour of Keller’s flowers. If I have learned anything about Helen Keller’s life at all, I have learned that she lived in light not darkness. So it is fitting that her mother named her first child “Helen” which means, “light” or “bright shining sun.” This work would not have been possible without the assistance and encouragement of a number of different communities and individuals. First and foremost, I would like to thank my Dissertation Committee: Susan Laird, Chair, for her encouragement to consider the classic educational text of Helen Keller and then for her high expectations in using my philosophical and practical skills to analyze and theorize from Helen Keller’s works; John Covaleskie, for his suggestion of the possible usefulness of Dewey’s conception of the reflex arc; Jim Gardner, for discussing my work and its implications for educational technology; William Frick for his inspiration to consider the educational systems perspective; and Joyce Brandes, for her insights regarding the implications of my research for special education. iv Next I would like to express my gratitude to other academic groups: to the OU Writing Center, particularly for assistance from the director Michele Eodice; to the Philosophy of Education Society, particularly Jim Garrison and Suzanne Rice; to the Oklahoma Educational Studies Association, particularly Julie Davis; and to my peer support group, particularly Joe Meinhart, Steven Mackie, Kristen Holzer, and Sean Pendley. There are so many colleagues at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services I wish to thank: Michaela Bishop, my supervisor, for allowing me to integrate my doctoral work into my professional service; JoAnne Goin, director of the Oklahoma Developmental Disabilities Services, for her unconditional and constant support; and my peers in this most important work, including Matt Aingell, Paula Baskin, Anna Adams, Bill Fields, Kim Powell, Bettina Larsen, Christie Hamm, Susan Russell, and Herbert Shalver. My St. Jerome Parish church family has provided steadfast support of me and my work, particularly the church choir members, Bishop Rick Hollingsworth, Father DeWayne Messenger, Deacon Brother Ray Knapp, and Bishop Rafe Adams. I am grateful to my two almost families. Martin, Maurine, and Kevin Lantz for their always welcome home for reading and writing; and Nance Cunningham, Howard Stein, and Zev Cunningham Stein for so many dinner and breakfast table discussions that asked good questions and clarified concepts. Finally, most of all, I am grateful to my brother John Eric Surbaugh and his wife Nonette for their moral and financial support, and unlimited kindnesses. v *Michael J. Surbaugh (b. 1959) died after suffering from cancer on April 19, 2016. He was unable to complete the final edits to his dissertation text. We did the best we could to reflect his voice and message. His note below, following his March 28, 2016 dissertation defense: Dear Susan and others involved in my doctoral defense, how can one express the profoundest gratitude due the kindness and consideration that I received at the conclusion of this doctoral journey. I am honored by your presence, the varied scope of your research projects, and your collective wisdom. I pray for your peace and productivity for the future. If anything can tilt the balance to something more humane in the broadest sense, it is education. Yours with affectionate respect, Michael vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ...................................................................................... iv Table of Contents ....................................................................................... vii Abstract .......................................................................................................... ix PART ONE ....................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE .............................................................................................. 1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................1 Teacher and Student Meet .............................................................................................4 CHAPTER TWO ............................................................................................ 23 Sources ......................................................................................................................... 23 Peregrinations .............................................................................................................. 27 CHAPTER THREE ....................................................................................... 34 Capability and Consciousness ...................................................................................... 34 ~ Capability ......................................................................................................................... 34 ~ Consciousness .................................................................................................................. 36 ~ “Capability + Consciousness” ........................................................................................... 41 PART TWO .................................................................................................... 46 CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................... 46 Theory of Capability Consciousness ............................................................................. 46 ~ Capability Disposition ...................................................................................................... 58 vii ~ Capability Defense ........................................................................................................... 62 ~ Capability Propensity ....................................................................................................... 70 The Disabling (Contrary) Case ..................................................................................... 73 ~ Disabling Disposition........................................................................................................ 78 ~ Disabled Defense ............................................................................................................. 85 ~ Disabled Propensity ......................................................................................................... 90 Capability Consciousness: Borderline Cases ................................................................ 95 ~ Disconnected Capability ................................................................................................ 100 ~ Cloaked Disability ........................................................................................................... 101 ~ Separating Capability ..................................................................................................... 103 Constituting Capability Consciousness ....................................................................... 109 ~ Enabling Capability Consciousness ................................................................................ 112 CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................