Open AccessBeyond Models: Some Tentative Daoist Contributions to Disability Studies
Author(s) -
Michael J. Stoltzfus,
Darla Schumm
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
disability studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2159-8371
pISSN - 1041-5718
DOI - 10.18061/dsq.v31i1.1366
Subject(s) - ambiguity , categorization , balance (ability) , core (optical fiber) , disability studies , epistemology , psychology , sociology , computer science , philosophy , gender studies , neuroscience , linguistics , telecommunications
Seeking a way of dynamic balance in the midst of uncertainty and ambiguity is both a core Daoist teaching and a central experience of individuals living with chronic disability or illness. This essay incorporates core Daoist themes to map alternative ways for thinking and talking about disability and chronic conditions. A Daoist worldview can offer distinctive modes of responding to chronic disabilities which move beyond standard or typical models. Daoism illustrates that many forms of human embodiment are aspects of a single, ever-changing way and invites the integration of disability into the understanding of human life without necessitating categorization, definition, or cure.