Expanding Ableism Taking down the Ghettoization of Impact of Disability Studies Scholars.docVIP

Societies 2012, 2, 75–83; doi:10.3390/soc2030075 OPEN ACCESS societies ISSN 2075-4698 /journal/societies Article Expanding Ableism: Taking down the Ghettoization of Impact of Disability Studies Scholars Gregor Wolbring Department of Community Health Sciences, Specialization in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, T2N4N1, Canada; E-Mail: gwolbrin@ucalgary.ca; Tel.: +1-403-210-7083; Fax: +1-403-220-6494 Received: 28 February 2012; in revised form: 14 June 2012 / Accepted: 29 June 2012 / Published: 6 July 2012 Abstract: This paper highlights the utility of an expanded ableism concept beyond how it is used in disability studies; expanding the concept of ableism so it connects with all aspects of societies and making ableism applicable to many academic fields. It introduces this expanded form of ableism as a new angle of cultural research and suggests it to be one possible venue for disability studies scholars to escape the ghettoization of their impact. Keywords: ableism; ability studies; disability studies; society 1. Introduction The concept of impact is all around us and influences many discourses [1–3]. We live in an impact assessment society with culturally constructed hierarchies of impact importance. Academics are expected to have an impact [4] for example through their publications [5]. The impact of their research is evaluated constantly [6]. Knowledge translation is a buzzword to describe another expected impact of academic work [7,8]. Universities are seen to have to change their priorities and cultures ―as a result of the recognition by governments that they are at the heart of their efforts to build competitive knowledge economies‖ [9]. As academics, we seem to live in a culture of impact. In this paper, I will submit impact considerations that an academic disability studies researcher might have to take into account. The field of