Struggles online over the meaning of 'Down's syndrome': A 'dialogic' interpretation

Bakhtin's suggestion that a unified truth demands a 'multiplicity of consciousnesses' seems particularly relevant in the 'globally connected age'. At a time when the DIY/'punk ethic' seems to prevail online, and Wikipedia and blogging means that anyone with access to the Internet can enter into public deliberation, it is worth considering the potential for mass communication systems to create meaningful changes in the way that 'disability' is theorized. Based on the findings of qualitative research, this study explores competing interpretations of disability, specifically dialogue online over the meaning of Down's syndrome, from the vantage point of an approach towards language analysis that emanates from the work of the Bakhtin Circle. It will be shown that, suitably revised and supplemented, elements of Bakhtinian theory provide powerful tools for understanding online relations and changes in the notion of disability. It will also be shown that, while activists in the disabled people's movement have managed to effect modest changes to the way that disability is theorized, both online and in the 'real world', there remains a great deal still to be achieved. This study allows us to understand better the social struggles faced by disabled people and the opportunities open to them.