> Thus I think Bérubé is right to suggest that the key to social justice for
> both the disabled and those who care for them lies in enlarging the
> imagination. If we regard our fellow citizens above all as parties to a
> mutually advantageous bargain, we will never see much of value in the
> permanently handicapped. And we will see value in the disabled elderly only
> by thinking of them as formerly productive people who deserve some
> recompense for that earlier productivity; this is surely not all that their
> dignity requires. Finally, if we see little value or dignity in dependent
> people, we will be unlikely to see dignity in the work done dressing or
> washing them, and we will be unlikely to accord this work the social
> recognition it should have. We will confront these problems well only if we
> see human worth in Jamie's playful sweetness as well as in his brother's
> traditionally valued gifts, in Sesha's need to be dressed as well as in her
> parents' ability to dress themselves. Thus Bérubé's book, which can be read
> simply as a father's detailed and often quite humorous story about the life
> of his son, actually has an important theoretical purpose. All the detail
> and the humor are there to help readers understand the relationship with a
> "retarded child" not as a heart-wringing tragedy but as a valuable and
> enjoyable human relationship.
>
> ---
> can't reconcile the above statement with claims made about her in the
> responses!
>
>
"Who isn't dependent?" I think the critiquers would say.
I would add that by focusing on disabled children the "caretaker" role is determined in a way - these are the parent's experiences. There is a paternalism (or maternalism to be more accurate here) tone in the review of these books about disabled children -- all children need care.
I prefer to think in terms of disability support as "services" rather than "care." Everyone needs care and whether they have it or not in their lives depends upon whether they have it from people who they have relationships with - disabled or nondisabled. The kind of services that enable disabled persons to navigate the world need to be thought of like the need for public streets. They need to be there, not determined by whether family or friends "care enough" to provide them.
Marta