#disability

Would you pay to have the ‘best baby’? Liberal eugenics and the troubling quest for human perfection

For decades the idea of eugenics has been taboo. Now it is returning in a new commercial guise For a very long time, I dreamed of being cured. I was born in 1981. I learned to walk early enough, but I stumbled and fell more easily than other children. My parents began to worry that something was wrong, that my muscles were weaker than they should be. Eventually, at the age of three, I was diagnosed with a form of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). In the 1980s, the precise mechanics were not yet understood, but the condition was known to be hereditary, probably linked to a recessive gene. It was a

The Guardian Long Read · EN

From the archive: The disabled villain: why sensitivity reading can’t kill off this ugly trope – podcast

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors This week, from 2023: For centuries, fictional narratives have used outer difference to telegraph inner monstrosity. As someone who uses a wheelchair, I’ve learned you can’t just edit out a few slurs or bad words to fix this – it’s often baked deep into the story Written and read by Jan Grue Read the text version here Support the Guardian today: theguardian.com/longreadpod Continue reading...

The Guardian Long Read · EN

A Rare Disease and Analog Photography Merge in a Portrait of Self-Discovery

"Everything Twice" is a quiet meditation on disability and the ways we orient ourselves in the world Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $7 per month. The article A Rare Disease and Analog Photography Merge in a Portrait of Self-Discovery appeared first on Colossal .

Colossal · EN

The Guardian view on listening to people with learning disabilities: a matter of life and death | Editorial

The Covid pandemic shed an unforgiving light on health and social care inequalities. The lessons have yet to be absorbed The fear that so many felt as the death toll rose during the Covid pandemic was magnified for Fiona Walker. “I know from experience they wouldn’t have valued my life,” she says, in a new report on the treatment of people with learning disabilities during the crisis. The 1.5 million people in the UK with learning disabilities, and their families, had reason for concern. Death rates in England were four to six times higher than average for people with learning disabilities. As

Guardian Science · EN