Don't call me inspirational: A disabled feminist talks back Harilyn Rousso

Reviewed by: Catherine Willson, UK

In “Don't Call Me Inspirational”, Harilyn Rousso claims a unique identity. She is a feminist and a disabled woman, but she resists being seen as an inspirational figure simply on account of having cerebral palsy. The book exposes the disabilism that continues to exist in society and has not yet had the same acknowledgement as other prejudicial stereotypes which are, at least rhetorically, now condemned. One particularly interesting feature, which emerges through Rousso's reflections on her life and her musings on her feelings about herself as a person at different times, is the subtle nature of the discrimination and inequalities experienced by disabled people.

The book comprises short anecdotal accounts of the discrimination Rousso has encountered throughout her life. The general themes are family, body image, attitudes towards disability, views of womanhood and activism. The book provides a source of insight into the life of a disabled woman growing up in the period of the establishment of the Disabled People's Movement. It should be read and considered as a series of separate memoirs, rather than a chronological life story. The sections more or less correspond to the different periods of Rousso's life, but there are some reflections back and forth. Rousso herself states that the book is not necessarily intended to be read chronologically, and elements of some stories are repeated in different contexts. What is remarkable and disturbing is that many of the stories told by Rousso are as applicable to the lives of disabled people now as they were some 60 years ago, when her account of her life experiences begins. The barriers she describes still exist. They include attitudes based on ignorance, the medicalization of impairments, and a general tendency of society to define differences as deficits, rather than celebrating diversity.

The first section of the book, “Close Encounters with the Clueless”, starts with a description of the author, giving a synopsis of her life which puts the rest of the book into context. The discrimination which Rousso has faced as a disabled woman immediately becomes apparent. The remaining chapters in this section are a mixture of descriptions of personal experience and some more abstract accounts of how the ignorant attitudes of others in society have influenced and shaped Rousso's defiant character and identity. There are memoirs of her early childhood which begin to create the context of her continued battle, between her identity as a strong and autonomous disabled woman, and the oppressive societal cultural stereotypes which influenced her early life and to some extent continue to do so.

The second section, “On Leaving Home” is a collation of personal stories about Rousso's family, describing her interactions and relationships with family members and their influence on her. Rousso depicts the conflicts between her developing identity as an independent woman and the self-doubt produced by the negative stereotypes of disability imposed on her. This is particularly apparent in the third section, “On Not Looking in the Mirror”, in which Rousso discusses her impairments, showing how each can be interpreted in different ways. She recounts how medical and societal attitudes towards her impairments led her to change from her initial contentment with her body at a young age, to seeing the symptoms of her cerebral palsy as weaknesses which made her different from the “norm” and which therefore needed to be fixed. However she reveals how, rather than retaining this learnt response and seeking to hide her impairments, she gradually realised that they are unique aspects of her identity as a person. This section therefore further depicts Rousso's developing identity as a disability activist and her changing relationship with her body image.

The fourth section, “What's a Woman?”, gives more insight into Rousso as a feminist, describing her unfolding experiences in personal relationships and the establishing of her sexual identity. The accounts are not exclusively focused on her cerebral palsy, but show her developing a strong identity as a disabled woman, aided by feminist principles.

What is evident throughout the book is Rousso's desire to blend in with the “normal” whilst also establishing herself as being “different”, not on account of having cerebral palsy but for her firm self-identity as an individual. Her descriptions of her relationships with her parents and family show the conflict between their desire to nurture her as a strong and independent person, whilst also at times submitting to the societal pressure to see her cerebral palsy as a deficit, rather than recognising it as part of her unique identity. From time to time Rousso questions the motives of other people, suggesting that they are influenced by society's negative attitudes to disability. However, she also shows her reflective approach to life, influenced by her role as a practicing psychotherapist and artist.

The final section, “Why Claim Disability?”, focuses on issues of both feminism and disability. Rousso describes her experiences of involvement in feminist organisations. Her account demonstrates that feminists have not always recognised disability discrimination as a form of social oppression. The chapters of this section highlight the “double oppression” disabled women face, on account both of their impairments and their gender. This representation has been criticised by other disabled feminists on the grounds that it continues to reinforce negative stereotypes of disabled women. However, Rousso has elicited personal stories which evidence the barriers she and other disabled women faced when they tried to be fully included within organisations challenging the oppression of women, and the exclusion she and other disabled women felt. The acknowledgement of the double disadvantage of disabled women remains a contentious issue for both the disability and feminist movements. The accounts in these chapters relate this issue to more than thirty years of personal lived experience.

Towards the end of the book, Rousso reflects on the success of the mentoring project she established for disabled adolescents with physical impairments. She pays tribute to them, and to herself for the positive personal identity she has claimed. Her desire is that other disabled women will be able to do the same.