Critical Disability Studies

We have now moved on to the core of UNIT 4, namely, critical disability studies. It was explained at the outset, how DS is an academic discipline that is hugely different from the other disciplines. The individual topics that we discussed are as follows:
(i) How disability is seen as a representation of the human condition
(ii) The role of UPIAS in the bringing up of the discipline of DS
(iii) The goals of DS
(iv) Methodologies of DS
(v) Foucault's Geneology
(vi Critical Theory (Beginning from the Frankfurt School)
The main emphasis has been on the need for an academic arm of the disability rights movement in the form of DS.
The notion of knowledge construction and organisation was emphasised. The point that was made convincingly was the typically western (and therefore limiting) thinking post-industrial revolution to organise knowledge in three types of disciplines, namely, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences. Critical studies was necessarily a reaction to this artificial divisioning of knowledge and accompanying methodologies, especially between Humanities and Social Sciences. Critical studies has been henceforth enriched by the addition of post-colonial studies methods -- a strongly Indian contribution of knowledge.