Impaired compared to what? Embodiment and diversity

Ever since I developed a personal memory of self, I have lived at the intersection between disability and madness. Following a road-traffic accident in 1984 my mother sustained significant long-term injuries, whilst I suffered significant psychological trauma. In the years ahead, due to a court case following the accident, I visited a number of psychiatrists, who each had their own theory as to explain my odd behaviour. Following these patronising and intimidating encounters I planned to create as much space between me and such professionals as I could, yet also began a personal journey of discovery that led me toward philosophy and the social sciences. By the mid-1990’s I had discovered the work of radical psychiatrists and the late 1990’s the social model of disability. Both these influences helped me to begin revaluating my own disposition in relation to others.