Senior Project Advisor

Sasha Petrenko

Document Type

Project

Publication Date

Spring 2021

Keywords

Disability, Ableism, Assistive Technology, Art, Activism, Crochet

Abstract

Disability is a common part of life, but not a well understood part of our cultural conscience. Because of this, the oppression that disabled people face, ableism, is particularly pervasive and under addressed. In order to begin to chip away at the systemic ableism that is embedded in all parts of society, disabled people need better representation in the media. This means not just showing stories that involve disabled people or that are about disabled people, but actual stories by disabled people about disability. One area of particular interest to me is addressing ableist misconceptions about assistive technology. To take on this topic from the perspective of a disabled person, I chose to use the medium of crochet to help soften the image of assistive technology and tell disability stories. In the future, I hope that this project can be expanded into a true craft as activism project, “craftivism”, that engages a wider group of people in the discussion about assistive technology and ableism, the process of crocheting, and the activity of community building and healing.

Department

Philosophy

Subjects - Topical (LCSH)

People with disabilities--Effect of technological innovations on; Discrimination against people with disabilities; Self-help devices for people with disabilities; Crocheting--Political aspects

Genre/Form

essays

Type

Text

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this document for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission.

Language

English

Format

application/pdf

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