The Oppressive Myth of ‘Function’
Tags: Activism, Accessibility, Personal, Disability, Politics

‘Function’ is the insidious construct kept in place by widespread ableism to avoid accountability and instead gaslight the disabled community into blaming themselves for things that they cannot control. ‘Disability’ is a construct. It’s obvious to most disabled people, especially those familiar with the social model of disability. However, most non-disabled people still seem to be (however innocently) oblivious.

We are all guilty of perpetuating the idea that anything outside of non-disabled is other, unpleasant or at the very least, undesirable- This reflects the society we exist within, one which places ‘function’ at the forefront- prioritising the ability to work, be fit, ‘healthy’, or in any way- closer to non-disabled.

This is stigmatising, offensive, and inaccurate, but it runs so deep that it’s difficult to get to the bottom of. Concepts like the social and medical models of disability are (however flawed) invaluable tools in exploring disability, particularly within an academic capacity.

‘The social model’

The majority of disabled people propose the social model as the most accurate, and ethical system available. The goal of the social model is to view disability as something neutral which doesn’t require fixing- identifying that “people are disabled by barriers, not by their impairment or difference.”* This is contrasted against the widespread ‘medical model’ which enforces the idea that the most ‘functional’ disabled person is one who is as close to being non-disabled as possible.

Example- I can’t get into a building because it has stairs at the entrance and no ramp/lift.

Medical model: This is the fault of my disability- if my ‘function’ were better I would be able to access this building.

Social model: This is a flaw in the building- if the building was fully accessible, the idea of (dis)ability would be irrelevant in this context.

The idea of ‘function’ is fully reliant on the accessibility of one’s environment- This exists both in the capacity of living assistance (mobility aids, human assistance) and accessibility (physical, social, and economic). The goal, in a fully and systemically accessible world, is that disability would exist as difference and not a difficulty. That’s not to say that disability, wouldn’t exist- but it would exist as a facet of identity- it would not connote that one’s ‘function’ limits their access or livelihood in any way. In an inaccessible world, that’s not yet entirely possible- we better get on that, hey?

‘But you call yourself ‘DIS-abled!’

Yes. I do. I’m a proponent of using the word ‘disability’ to describe our community- I find terms like ‘differently-abled’ and ‘special-abilities’ stigmatising.

The word ‘disability’ has (for most of the disabled community) grown beyond its own etymology. It implies physical difference, a need for accessibility, empowerment, and community. Unfortunately, most non-disabled people don’t view the term in the same light. They see people ostracised by their ‘dis-abilities’, ignoring that we are actually ostracised by a lack of access. Many misguided non-disabled people then propose using terms like ‘special- abilities’ because they don’t understand that terms like these just imply that the words we’ve reclaimed OURSELVES are dirty.

I would never use any terms aside from “disabled,” “person with a disability,” or “cripple” (a reclaimed slur, not for able-bodied use) to describe myself. I will respect other disabled people’s decisions to use terms like ‘differently-abled’ however I would encourage a conversation to make sure that this is a decision they are coming to themselves and not something ableist culture has unconsciously told them is ‘correct’. Anyone, disabled or not (usually not), who continues to call me any of these terms after I’ve expressed otherwise is not respecting an important boundary, I don’t need them in my life.

In the words of the iconic Florence Given, “Your boundaries are your personal law.”*

So, yes. I do call myself DIS-abled and I will continue to do as such regardless of non-disabled opinions.

‘But surely ‘function’ IS a way of measuring someone’s needs?’

Okay- We do all have different needs. The primary issue here is that ‘function’ itself is entirely subjective, and therefore can be manipulated to fulfil an ableist agenda. Needs vary depending on a huge number of circumstances and disability isn’t just one box, it isn’t even a collection of boxes, injuries, or diagnoses- it’s unquantifiable. It’s an extremely complex, yet widely unacknowledged CONSTRUCT.

Example: I use a wheelchair almost all of the time but I can go short distances with crutches and leg braces. The typical view of able-bodied people is that I am obviously more functional walking. However I can only go about ten metres at a time, I get tired, and sore, and fall over, my fitness levels go down, I face similar social barriers, and people ask me ‘what happened?’ constantly. My wheelchair erases the majority of these physical challenges and simply adds one- wheelchair inaccessibility (which isn’t that big seeing as I can’t really do stairs on my crutches anyway). When I do get up and walk, I’m with suspicion and ‘why do you use a wheelchair then?’ questions. I try to educate by saying that- my level of disability is similar to someone with this or that. When in reality, we need to be able to view disability without classification- which inherently limits our perception of any disability which doesn’t fit neatly into the narrow-minded narrative we are exposed to (very few disabilities do).

Needs are an interpersonal thing. They are extremely complex and have nothing to do with the constructed and stigmatising idea of high or low ‘function’.

We need to stop using ‘function’ as an excuse for society’s blatant mistreatment of disabled people. Non-disabled people need to step-up, start listening, and change their attitudes. We as disabled people need to keep advocating for our rights and our needs while still protecting our SELVES.

*

https://www.scope.org.uk/about-us/social-model-of-disability/

https://www.florencegiven.com/