Hi, Rahul, Dinesh and Payal have already put down the essence of this discussion. While we can keep putting down our views amongst ourselves, it would be better if they are heard by those who perpetuate these stereotypes. Would it be good idea to collect more views on this thread, collate them in form of an article, and send it to Arnab Goswami. Ideally it would be best if Ashish sends it, but I am not sure if he would be willing to do it. If anyone on this list interacts with him at a personal level, he / she can possibly convey this to him.
Thanks. Alok -----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Dinesh Kaushal Sent: Monday, January 29, 2018 10:05 AM To: 'AccessIndia: a list for discussing accessibility and issues concerning the disabled.' Subject: Re: [AI] Deification of the disabled in the media Thanks for starting conversation on an important topic. The way media houses distort and push people around is well-known. I think that Arnab Goswami would not have allowed Ashish to say what he might have wanted to say. It was evident from the way Arnab constantly kept saying that I want people to get inspired. So he might have not allowed him to talk about role of assistive technology. The reason that Arnab might have not allowed that description is that the fact that technology could help people with blindness would not make him look so super human. Even then, I feel that we have missed a great opportunity to bring awareness about how assistive technology could help millions. As Rahul said, This instance highlights that we should not help in perpetuating these harmful stereotypes. I also suggest that we need to be vigilant about our responsibility of making people aware about how technology has made so many things possible. Granted that it has become part of our lives so much that we may not realize that for people who have no exposure to these technologies, this could be the difference in making us look super human vs people using specialized tool that anyone could learn. For those who might want to be seen as amazing people, even though when we show people how technology helps us to do regular stuff, people think we are so inspirational! -----Original Message----- From: AccessIndia [mailto:accessindia-boun...@accessindia.org.in] On Behalf Of Rahul Bajaj Sent: Saturday, January 27, 2018 9:58 PM To: accessindia@accessindia.org.in Subject: [AI] Deification of the disabled in the media Hi everyone, I hope this message finds you well. I recently came across Ashish Goyal's interview to Arnab Goswami on Republic TV that was conducted on Republic Day: http://www.republicworld.com/s/20590/meet-the-first-visually-impaired-person -to-attend-wharton-business-school At the outset, I think what Mr. Goyal has achieved is truly commendable and worthy of appreciation. Despite the odds being heavily stacked against him, he has overcome challenges that most would have considered insurmountable. However, I was somewhat troubled by the manner in which Mr. Goswami sought to construct his narrative. More specifically, he called Mr. Goyal an inspiration multiple times and framed his questions in such a way that they made Mr. Goyal appear superhuman. For instance, the interviewers considered him an expert on overcoming obstacles as a student merely on the ground that he has been able to accomplish so much despite his disability. This got me thinking about whether the deification of the disabled in this fashion is a healthy phenomenon. Doesn't it help perpetuate their otherization and alienation which we work so hard to break down? Also, I wonder if we, as disabled interviewees, have an obligation to actively engage with interviewers to ensure that we are not helping perpetuate these harmful stereotypes. To be clear, I don't have anything against Mr. Goyal personally. Indeed, I confess to being all too willing to be made the subject matter of news stories like these. I do think that such stories serve the valuable purpose of driving home the point that, with access to opportunities and resources, there is nothing that the disabled cannot achieve. However, at the same time, I am wondering if this object can be attained without us being complicit in reinforcing harmful stereotypes. Best, Rahul Sent from my iPhone The list has now migrated to www.accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in You should now post to the id: a...@accessindia.inclusivehabitat.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/accessindia@accessindia.org.in/ To unsubscribe send a message to accessindia-requ...@accessindia.org.in with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in Disclaimer: 1. 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