Kochi: The very idea of normal has been under scrutiny with new discourses on sexuality, physical and mental ability becoming instrumental for developing fresh outlooks and perspectives. The idea that hetero-sexual relationship between men and women alone qualified to be termed ‘normal’ has undergone radical change as terms such as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender are no longer talked in hushed tones. A similar change has also occurred in the area of disability discourses, albeit with lesser visibility, by the turn of the previous century. Several scholars started questioning the patronising and condescending attitude shown by society towards physical and mental ‘disability’. As in the case of ‘sexuality’ searching questions were raised on the notion of ability and its ramifications for a dignified existence.
Bringing the social factor into limelight has been a major change in the disability debate. This has helped in challenging the medical and psychological perspective that dominated the discourses on disability for long. The Politics of Disablement: A Sociological Approach by Michael Oliver, a former professor of Greenwich University UK, has been hailed as fine of example bringing such a fresh perspective to discussions on disability. Originally published in 1990, Prof. Oliver’s argument brought an updated version along with Colin Barnes in 2012. Although campuses in Kerala and other parts of the country remained largely immune to the changes taking place in the realm of disablement studies, more people are concerned about state of affairs in western countries.
There are signs of the recognition of the need for bringing fresh perspectives to address the issue of disablement as a subject of academic study as well as for creating a barrier-free environment. The Ability Project initiated by the School of Social Sciences, Mahatma Gandhi University at Kottayam is a pioneering effort in this direction. The project initiated when Dr. K.T. Rammohan was the dean of School of Social Sciences is an ongoing programme for the creation of a barrier-free environment on the campus and providing infrastructure facilities for students with disability to pursue their academic interests.
