Disability Culture and Law

LPS 135 Disability Culture and Law “Letter to [Author]”.  ***Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist**** You have each read a first-person text written by a disabled author(s). Each of the authors you read is a living disability rights activist/advocate. Your assignment is to write a “letter” to your chosen author. Your letter should include the following content: -Does your author(s) seem to follow the social model of disability or the medical model of disability? Or both? How can you tell? Provide some examples. (Note: If you are reading Alice Wong or Lydia Brown’s books you do not need to provide this for every author. But it would be good to include an example of each if present.) -Does your author(s) refer to themselves using identity first or person first language? Or both? How can you tell? Provide some examples. (Note: If you are reading Alice Wong or Lydia Brown’s books you do not need to provide this for every author.

But it would be good to include an example of each if present.) -What sorts of things would you want to communicate to the author? Do you have any questions for them? Things you want to challenge them on? Portions of the text you want to know more about? Your letter should address your response to the memoirs and the lives of the author(s). Critique is just as important as compliment. It is okay to disagree with an author, but remember to do so respectfully. Since all of these authors are active in the movement today, they are active on Twitter and are producing articles, interviews, presentations, and other content as we speak. You could consider using other content from the author to support, challenge, debate, or question the author in your letter to them as well. This still requires citation and inclusion in your bibliography. Format: If written: 5 pages. Double-spaced. 12 point font. Arial font. Send in an editable word document (so that I can provide written feedback/notes). Attach a bibliography with citations for articles, videos, interviews, etc. that you used/referenced (including the book itself). You can choose your preferred citation style, just be consistent.

Bibliography not included in 5-page page count.    Rubric: 200 points available. A high-scoring paper will: Correctly identify one or more examples of the social/medical model of disability in the text. Will cite a text other than the book to support their determination that it is social/medical. Correctly identify whether the author(s) uses identity first or person first language to refer to themselves, will provide an example from the book, and cite a text other than the book that supports their determination it is identity or person first. Mirror the language the author(s) use to refer to themselves. Carefully avoid using ableist language or terms in their papers (unless purposefully used/reclaimed). Identify a story, chapter, anecdote, etc. that stands out to you most after reading the book and tell the author why. Identify something they wish the author would have talked about or talked more about. Challenge, disagree with, or question the author on an aspect of the book. Be free of typos, flow logically, rely on sources outside of the book, and provide consistent citations to works cited.