Thursday, April 5, 2018

The Ableing of Stephen Hawking: Views from the Disability Community

When acclaimed physicist Stephen Hawking died on March 14, 2018, millions mourned not just death of a great scientist and author, but the loss of such a visible member of the disability community. However, his memorialization in recent weeks hasn't been without (sometimes considerable) controversy as numerous tributes have included comments about 'finally being free' from his disability and similar tropes. Below, I've shared some of the commentaries I've found most interesting on the issue.

How I Saw Stephen Hawking's Death as a Disabled Person, by Ellis Palmer:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-43418251

Stephen Hawking's Death Sparks Conversation On Disability And Ableism, by Annette Ejiofor:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2018/03/15/stephen-hawking-death_a_23386628/

The Tributes to Stephen Hawking Show What’s Wrong With How We Talk About Disability, by Robyn Powell:
https://rewire.news/article/2018/03/27/tributes-stephen-hawking-show-whats-wrong-talk-disability/

Erasing Stephen Hawking's Disability Erases An Important Part of Who He Was, by Jessica Roy:
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-stephen-hawking-disability-rights-20180316-story.html


No comments: