Date of Award
2008
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Program
Media Studies
Abstract
To some, individuals with disabilities are loathsome objects of pity, where wheelchairs are symbolic of confinement. While the words used to identify the disabled have changed, the connotative perceptions linger. Rather than choose another phrase that relies on the language of loss, this thesis calls for a language that depicts the true nature of the disability community, one of technological adaptation: a cyborg community. Ray Kurzweil and Donna Haraway believe the integration of technology into our bodies provides the opportunity to normalize or amplify human ability. David Noble and Willem Vanderburg argue this penetration subverts our humanity, a stance I dub sapienism. With Iain Banks and Richard Morgan’s perceptions on imbedded technology and identity, I suggest that while the adaptive technology used by the disabled may penetrate the body and alter our identity, it is a site for liberation rather than a source of limitation.
Recommended Citation
Preston, Jeffrey M., "AUGMENTED ABILITY, INTEGRATED IDENTITY: UNDERSTANDING SAPIENISM, ADAPTIVE TECHNOLOGY, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF DISABILITY" (2008). Digitized Theses. 4041.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/4041