By understanding “disability” as a form of human variation, the interdisciplinary discipline of Disabilities Studies hopes to improve the lives of people with physical and mental differences, according to Dr. Mardy Philippian, Associate Professor of English Studies and Director of Literature and Language at Lewis University.
It hopes to improve lives by reframing how society understands and responds to forms and expressions of human variation. Doing that benefits all of society by expanding our sense of what terms like human and phrases like fully human mean.
Philippian points out three ways in which society has traditionally responded to disability:
- The Medical Model seeks to “cure, repair, or fix” individuals by eliminating their impairments. This has historically devalued forms of human variation by curing people who already live a full, meaningful existence.
- The Social Model recognizes society is designed for certain bodies and minds, creating a disability for those with biological impairments. As a result, some in society have sought to reshape the physical world to accommodate differences such as the creation of wheelchair ramps in addition to stairs outside of places of business.
- The Care Model rejects the idea that physical and mental impairments limit ability. It encourages a community to offer support to diverse individuals to create an inclusive environment.
Philippian’s interest in Disabilities Studies began in 2010 a few years after his two sons received autism diagnoses under the DSM IV. Out of his desire to respond constructively and supportively to his children’s newly reframed identities and to create a better life for them, the father and professor delved into research on impairment and disabilities, also applying what he learned to his primary field of disciplinary training in the literature of the English Renaissance, particularly the drama of Shakespeare.
“Scholarship is a blending of your real life. And it is a blending of investigative questions of one kind or another that are unique.”
Most recently, his personal experience and professional expertise led to him co-editing the book Inclusive Shakespeares: Identity, Pedagogy, Performance, an edited collection of essays by Shakespeare scholars. The 2023 book is a response to the concern to make Shakespeare Studies and performances of the plays accessible to those who have been historically marginalized because of race, class, gender, sexual identity, and disability.
Philippian continues to explore how disability is represented in literature by analyzing how impairment relates to narratives and characters. He is inviting others at Lewis University along on the journey in Fall 2025 when Lewis University begins offering a Minor in Disabilities Studies.
