On Reassembling One's Life: Overcoming Disability in the Academic Environment

In this paper I discuss my process of academic rehabilitation after suffering severe disruption after the (sudden) onset of severe vision impairment (legal blindness). The paper is somewhat anecdotal, I give examples of specially designed assistive technologies that helped rehabilitation in various phases of academic teaching, research, student advising, and paper presentation at academic conferences. A particular view on the nature of the concept of disability is offered and dissatisfaction is voiced with the current social theory view of disability as the result of social oppression. The theme emphasized in this paper is one of searching for independence and self-help to facilitate reintegration into academe and society. Exception is taken to the red herrings of political correctness and power politics as relevant schema for examining disability concepts.