ENGL296: Reading and Writing Disability

  Speaking Without Sound: Gender and Disability in The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water tells a love story that goes beyond romance, it’s about being seen and understood when the world decides you’re “different.” Elisa, the main character, is mute and works as a janitor in a secret government lab. When she meets the amphibian creature being held there, she connects with him through sign language and emotion instead of words.  Elisa’s disability also challenges how women with disabilities are usually portrayed. As Garland-Thomson points out, they’re often shown as either completely asexual or overly sexualized. Elisa is neither. She’s just a woman with real desires and emotions, and the film treats that as normal, because it is. We see her pleasure herself during her morning routine, not in a way that’s meant to shock the audience, but to show that she’s comfortable in her own body. The eggs shown in the film can symbolize fertility and life, things soc...

On Display: The Gaze in Dance Competitions When I was a competitive dancer, I always felt like I was being watched. On stage, the judges and audience weren’t just paying attention to the routine. They were also looking at costumes, bodies, and how well we matched a certain “ideal” of what a dancer should be. That connects to what Rosemarie Garland-Thomson calls the “Beauty” category. The hardest part for me was during overall awards. All of us would sit on stage while they called up who won. If your name wasn’t called, you just sat there, trying not to look upset. It was embarrassing to be on display like that, especially when the lights and the audience made it clear who was being celebrated and who wasn’t. In those moments, it didn’t matter how hard you worked, what mattered was whether you fit into what the judges thought was the “best.” Sometimes the applause and high scores felt exciting, even validating. It was proof that the hours of practice and the pressure were worth it. But ...

By: Logan Midler The norm for most families is a mom, a dad, and their neurotypical kids. Nothing else. This is what comes up on google when you search "picture perfect family." My family is different. I have two moms and a twin brother who’s autistic. When you’re a kid, people love asking about your family. “What do your mom and dad do?” was the go-to question in my elementary school. I hated it, not because I didn’t love my family, but because my answer always got me weird looks. To me, my family was completely normal. My moms supported me in everything I did, took me on fun trips, helped with school, and just wanted me to be happy. But to other kids, it was “weird.” Some even bullied me because I didn’t have the “right” family structure. I remember being told that my parents’ marriage was wrong because the Bible didn’t support it. At that age, it was confusing. My family never felt unusual until other people told me it was. Looking back, it makes sense why some kids though...