The oppositional framework to bodyminds, that claims there is a distinct separation between the body and the mind. Cartesian dualism has been used against people of color and women to claim that they are inferior because they are ruled by their bodies instead of their minds

Cartesian Dualism

Bodymind is a term coined by Margaret Price to refer to the inextricable nature of the body and the mind, in particular noting that they cannot be understood or theorized about separately.

University of Wisconsin - Madison

Engagement with disability as a social and political category and embodiment rather than as a solely personal or medical experience.

Disability Politics

Schalk, Sami. Black Disability Politics, New York, USA: Duke University Press, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478027003

Black Disability Politics

Bodyminds

On a national level, disability rights and services are being systematically rolled back, with disability erasure being particularly threatening in this context. Laws such as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA), Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA), and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are essential to survival for disabled people. Systemic rollbacks have included jeopardizing access to medical care and education opportunities. Despite being the largest minority group in the United States, disabled people are significantly underrepresented among voters.

Legislative Threats

Nondisabled psychologists can become allies by supporting efforts to normalize the word “disability”, recognizing and speaking out against problematic language and euphemisms, recognizing and speaking out against inspiration porn, and understanding the importance of intersectional identity and social justice. In clinical practice, psychologists should honor language preferences in culturally appropriate ways, open dialogue with patients about underlying attitudes and beliefs shaping their terminology preferences, and advocate for systemic advancements to increase disabled access to educational, occupational, and medical resources. Lastly, future research should center disabled perspectives, focus on disability identity, examine collective activism around social justice issues, and study impacts of legislation and policy.

Being an Ally

The theory of Black Disability Politics refers to disability politics expressed through text, speech, ideological platforms, or activist work by Black cultural workers (individuals whose work directly responds to and influences culture). It encompasses how Black individuals engage in Disability Justice and Disability Politics, and it can be understood as an integral intersection of both the Disability Justice movement and the Black liberation movement.

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