Disability, connectivity and transgressing the autonomous body.

Area of Science:

• Disability Studies
• Philosophy
• Science and Technology Studies

Background:

• Western philosophical traditions often emphasize the independent, autonomous subject.
• These notions of independence can marginalize individuals with disabilities by framing their needs as deficiencies.
• Discourses valorizing self-sufficiency can inadvertently contribute to the social exclusion of disabled bodies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To challenge the dominant Western concept of the independent subject in relation to disability.
• To explore the interconnectedness of disabled individuals, technologies, and the environment.
• To propose an expanded understanding of subjectivity and ethics based on interdependence.

Main Methods:

• Critiquing prevailing discourses on independence using Deleuze and Guattari's philosophy of 'becoming'.
• Analyzing three case studies of disability connectivities: human-dog, human-machine, and woman-woman relationships.
• Examining how these connectivities illustrate partial and transitory forms of subjectivity.

Main Results:

• Subjectivity is demonstrated to be partial, fluid, and context-dependent, rather than static and independent.
• Disability 'dependencies' are reframed as vital connectivities that constitute subjectivity.
• The concept of 'disability connectivity' highlights the relational nature of being.

Conclusions:

• The independent subject model is inadequate for understanding disability and human experience.
• Disability connectivities offer a pathway to a more inclusive and accurate understanding of subjectivity.
• An ethics premised on interdependence, rather than individual rights, is necessary for social justice.