Against Technoableism: Re-thinking Who Needs Improvement, By Ashley Shew: A Review Written By: Jason Hahr

 

Image of Against Technoableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement, By: Ashley Shew Standing Up On Bookshelf.

The Voiceless Minority has gained tremendous traction over the last several months, and it will always be my primary outlet for my advocacy work. We have grown tremendously and had the opportunity to incorporate guest writers, including a permanent contributor, Michelle Zeman. We have also been given an excellent opportunity to present at the largest Disability Expo in the nation this upcoming June. The Expo is known as The Family Café, and we are honored to have the chance to be among some great self-advocates and allies over the three-day event. While all that is something to be celebrated, this blog will discuss my next advocacy adventure and a book that I have recently read.

I finished my fellowship with Florida Sands late last year and was unsure what to do next. Luckily, the universe presented my next opportunity rather quickly. I was selected as a 2025 IEEE Spectrum Taenzer Fellow. For those unfamiliar with the organization, IEEE Spectrum is an international technology publication focusing on technology's impact on the disability community.

While the fellowship started slowly, I'm happy to report it is up and running. One of my first assignments is to read books about journalism practices. At first, I was on my high horse and thought that because of my previous experience with Florida Sands, I knew everything; okay, not everything, but a lot about journalism. Although my last fellowship was thorough and complete with learning, I quickly learned that I did not know as much as I thought. I'm not trying to compare myself to the other Taenzer fellows, but I am the novice of the group. The two books we must read before writing articles have been beneficial.

Unfortunately, the first book, The Art and Craft of Feature Writing, by William Blundell, was not available in an audio format, so I have had to enlist the help of my girlfriend and caregivers to read the chapters to me so that I can keep up with the requirements of the fellowship. On a good note, however, the second book we must read, Against Techno ableism: Rethinking Who Needs Improvement, by Ashley Shew, is available on audio. Since I am a bibliophile, I have finished that book and will start my second read-through next week.

Okay, so I know I have written a lot so far and haven't reviewed the book yet, but here we go. The book is jarring at first, but it is exceptionally well-written and presents good arguments for why the author believes disabled people are portrayed the way they are in the media. She talks about five media tropes, i.e., forms that disabled people take when they are portrayed in a story. I will list them below.

The five tropes she mentions in chapter three are Pitiable Freaks, Moochers and Fakers, Bitter Cripples, Shameful Sinners, and Inspirational Overcomers. When I first read these, I immediately began to nod because at some point in my life, even though Miss Shew's disability differs from mine, and she came upon hers later in life, I could immediately relate to what she was saying. I will not go into the overall idea of each trope; otherwise, you would have no reason to read her book if I told you everything in it. I will only say that I have felt as if I were a member of each group at some point.

The overall message of her book made me rethink how disabled people are portrayed in the media and the entertainment industry. She says "techno ableism" is the worst kind of ableism. I will take it one step further and say that our disabilities should not just define us, but instead, we should be defined by the people we are. Our disabilities are only a part of who we are.

Before my friend's fingers fall off from helping me type, I want to conclude by saying thank you to Mr. Stephen Cass and Miss Margo Anderson of IEEE Spectrum for requiring us to read this book. It not only made me rethink the way I write, but it has made me more critical of mainstream media and how they portray the disabled community. In short, just because I get out of bed doesn't mean I'm inspirational. We, as a society, need to rethink and reframe the way we view disabled people, and hopefully, this blog and my work with my new fellowship will allow me to do my tiny part to change the overall narrative. Until next time. Your Friendly Neighborhood, Super advocate who has a fire under his ass, Jay.