That’s why one of the themes of my research has been passing. A book that I finished early on in this process was “Disability and Passing: the Lines of Identity,” by Jeffrey A. Brune and Daniel J. Wilson. Brune and Wilson reminded me that disability and normality are not a dichotomy. It’s not a question of either / or, it’s a fluid arch (2). I also really appreciated what they had to say about passing and self deception (20-21), since that was certainly one of the issues for me.
I also appreciated Todoroff and Lewis (1992). The excerpts that they present from their interview project are very powerful, reminding us that passing is also about fear of discrimination, fear of people’s reactions. A lot of clarity about the relationship between the disabled and the able-bodied, that’s often about fear of the future (34).
More coming. Working hard on the article.
References
Brune, Jeffrey A., and Wilson, Daniel J. Disability and Passing : Blurring the Lines of Identity. Philadelphia, Pa.: Temple University Press, 2013.
Todoroff, Milana, and Tanya Lewis. “The Personal and Social Implications of “Passing” in the Lives of Women Living with a Chronic Disease or Illness” In The More We Get Together eds. Houston Stewart, Beth Percival and Elizabeth R. Epperly (Charlottetown, PEI: Gynergy Books, 1992).