Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2020

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface-Chapter 3

Chapters 4-6

Chapter 7-Postscript

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Themes

Disability as an Identity

In Sitting Pretty: The View From My Ordinary Resilient Disabled Body, disability is framed as an identity akin to race, gender, sexuality, class, and other identifiers. However, disability is not seen as an identity to the wider world, creating exclusion and lack of understanding. Rebekah Taussig refers to disability as an identity throughout the book. She uses other identities to connect with her students when teaching them about disability, asking them whether or not disability can exist as an identity, rather than a defect: “At the very least, it’s worth thinking about the possibility of disability as a neutral category, an experience with highs and lows not unlike those of nondisabled folks” (64). To her, even if her students saw disability as existing outside of marginalized identities, they might still have been able to understand it as an identity in its own right. However, Taussig’s students failed to see disability as similar to the identity of gay people because, as one student says, “There’s still nothing inherently wrong with being gay. Like, a gay person isn’t defective. They’re literally just attracted to the same sex. Being disabled is just something in your body not working right” (63). Another student, Adam, accepted female identity but not people with disabilities because the latter aren’t “relevant” to his life. In other words, he and others fail to see disability as an identity rather than an outlying physical trait. To Taussig, if disability were viewed as an identity similar to that of LGBT people or women, acceptance of their lives and differences might be greater—thus, inclusion might increase, and people with disabilities might not be viewed as a problem to be solved.

People with disabilities sometimes face additional issues due to the intersectionality of identities. Taussig struggles to feel like a “woman” due to her disability, as both her disability and femininity are important to her, but people often prioritize her disability at first glance: “Does my disability swallow my womanhood? When people look at me, is my disability so loud and alienating that my womanhood is unrecognizable?” (150). Because others often fail to see her as a woman—an identity she associates with objectification and similar struggles—it becomes challenging for her to view herself as one. In terms of media, she points out how filmmakers do not always view disability as an identity—such being the case for Mindy Kaling’s film Late Night. Taussig notices the lack of characters with disabilities in Late Night because she is part of the group in question; her identity is left out because no one working on the film shared her experience and thus did not consider it. Without societal acknowledgment of disability as an identity, it becomes difficult for people with disabilities to feel they belong and for others to understand their value. Excluding disability as an identity means denying people with disabilities easier advocacy. It means excluding them from formal education and media representation—and, thus, systemic change.

Disability Impacts Everyone

Taussig notes throughout the book that disability impacts everyone because everyone has a body and all bodies will experience physical problems at some point. She frames disability as existing on a spectrum rather than in binary opposition to able bodies. Thus, understanding how physical problems affect everyone, even those with “able” bodies, will increase understanding of people with disabilities. Disability is a spectrum because people go “in and out of a ‘disabled’ state; they break a limb or get the flu or have horrible period cramps or become pregnant…and suddenly they find themselves experiencing disabling limitations” (9). The standard definition of disability contrasts it with a lack of disability, but Taussig notes the ambiguity of bodies, in which people alternate between bodily problems. Viewing disability as something that everyone will experience broadens discussion and helps people better understand the concept of disability.

People with disabilities are forced to contend with health care, but this is also an issue for people without disabilities. Everyone needs medical consultation or treatment at some point and thus needs adequate health care. This relates to the idea that everyone has a body that needs care and healing: “All bodies age, weaken under the power of germs, viruses, diseases, pain, and injury, require intervention and maintenance, rebel and go rogue. All of our bodies are at risk” (115). Understanding the myriad of ways in which bodies can change and break down adds to the idea that all bodies have some disabilities; no body is perfect. While empathy is ideal, learning about disability in relation to oneself can improve overall understanding of people with disabilities and their specific issues.

In terms of health and beauty standards, ableism impacts everyone because society emphasizes an ideal body—which is ultimately unattainable. Taussig’s definition of ableism incorporates this ideal and reiterates the physical issues and limitations that counter it. The physical often ties into the emotional, as judgment of physical problems can lead to poor mental health and thinking one is lesser. By understanding that everyone will encounter physical problems in their lives, people can stop viewing disability as the opposite of able bodies.

Combating Ableism

Various areas of society exclude people with disabilities, from the media to the workplace, and this impacts how these people view themselves. To combat this exclusion, society needs to combat ableism and emphasize inclusion. Exclusion begins with societal norms and ideals that focus on the perfect body. There is a preferred body type, but because people with disabilities exist outside of this ideal, they often feel excluded from society. Taussig notes this preference is part of ableism, including “favoring” the “idealized body” in her own definition of ableism. In other words, ableism is a potential problem for everyone. Part of combating ableism is understanding disability through the social model rather than the medical model. The social model is more inclusive, dismantling the ableist view of disability as a dysfunction or problem. Taussig notes systemic change is the issue to address: “A group is marginalized because society marginalizes them. Society also has the power to change that” (64). Fueled by capitalism and other factors, society has long excluded those with disabilities and must actively dismantle ableism to be more inclusive.

However, ableism occurs even when educating others about disability. Taussig’s students resisted inclusive ideas about disability due to how ingrained ableism is, which frames disability as different from other identities. This makes people with disabilities feel excluded from other marginalized groups. Taussig’s students were willing to understand the plight of LBGT people and women but failed to see how disability is similar. Taussig notes the lack of media representation of people with disabilities and how this furthers exclusion. The films that do include representation are mostly stories of “triumph” over disability. This does not account for the real, varied experiences of people with disabilities: “More often than not, the stories we tell about disability are sappy or eerie or melodramatic or frightening distortions of actual experience” (91). Not seeing oneself represented in media affects all identities outside of the norm. To combat ableism, society needs better representation of people with disabilities that depicts them in all their complexity like any other person.

Regarding the workplace, people with disabilities have difficulty finding employment with accommodations and doing so full-time. Because society emphasizes full-time work as valuable, people with disabilities often feel devalued. Taussig was once hired for a summer job out of pity, which made her feel her “efforts didn’t count” (110). She argues for a more inclusive workplace that is flexible to everyone’s needs. Inclusion will help not just people with disabilities feel valued but also everyone with bodily limitations. Taussig notes that unlike other identities, people with disabilities lack communal support: “When you’re born into a marginalized community whose members share your identity, you are born into a family that understands and knows. […] They carry the insider knowledge, and they can help prepare you” (118). Because people with disabilities are not always privy to a community, their exclusion is twofold—from their own community and the larger world.

The inaccessibility of public spaces also excludes people with disabilities. They are forced to navigate a world that was not made for them, which makes them feel like outsiders. Accessibility can increase inclusion. To people with disabilities, inaccessibility is “more than a string of inconveniences. […] It’s a way of being in the world, or just outside of the world. It’s a blaring message on a loudspeaker to tune out. An ideology to survive” (222). Exclusion becomes a constant that must be navigated. Taussig argues that accessibility includes incorporating the voices of people with disabilities into conversations, which creates a stronger society as a whole. Thus, exclusion impacts not only how these people feel about the world but also their overall experience of it and their self-worth. Exclusion permeates society, but active inclusion will combat it and better the lives of all.