Navigating Disability in an Ableist World examines the discourse surrounding disability through both historical sources and contemporary scholarship. Bringing together the perspectives of scholars and activists, this collection explores disability in relation to structures of ableism across different social and historical contexts. The volume engages with sources ranging from popular tales such as the Jatakas, the Buddha’s birth story, to colonial perspectives on disability, highlighting its place within Indian history. Also exploring representations of ableism in Bollywood movies and literature, the essays reflect shifts in societal attitudes toward people with disabilities. This includes portrayals of both disabled characters and more recent challenges to ableist perspectives in Hindi literature. The book emphasizes lived experiences, particularly regarding intimacy and the struggles faced by families of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It also discusses how intersection of mental health, queer identities, and gendered experiences of disability makes ableism more complex. Broadly, the collection invites readers to reconsider the boundaries between ‘disabled’ and ‘able-bodied’ identities, while critically examining the social assumptions that sustain these distinctions.

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1. Challenging Notions of Disability in Popular Tales: Models of Disability and Jataka Katha by Shatarupa Bhattacharya
2. Disability and the British Raj: Discourses and Institutional Practices in Early Twentieth Century Colonial India by Priyanka Sharma
3. ‘Pehle Theek Se Bolna Toh Seekh Lo . . .’: Representations of Disability in Hindi Cinema in the Last Thirty Years by Megha Dhillon
4. Disability Discourse in Modern Hindi Literature by Samyak Lalit
5. Exploring Intimacy in the Lives of Visually Impaired by Shivangi Shrivastava
6. Understanding Families with Persons with Intellectual Developmental Disorders: Their Needs and Challenges by Shanti Auluck
7. Understanding the Intersectionality of Disability and Mental Health by Srishti Pandey
8. Disability and Mothering: Embodied Knowledge by Rachana Johri

Notes on Editors and Contributors

Index