Cultural Artifact

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Recommended: Discrimination against disabled people

Introduction: Tim Rose and his wife Natalie Rose have experienced many assumptions and stereotypical comments solely based on their appearances. Natalie is able-bodied, and Tim was born with cerebral palsy (Verstraten, 2014). The Roses have created the “Rose Centre for Love, Sex, and Disability” which aims to promote disability in a positive light, and educate disabled and able-bodied people around the topics of love, sex, and relationships (Verstraten, 2014). The chosen cultural artifact addresses the conversation of a romantic relationship between an able-bodied and a disabled person, and touches on the stigmatization surrounding this relationship. The cultural artifact is a Toronto Star news article titled “Surprise! Disabled People Have …show more content…

The article provides Tim and Natalie Rose a platform to share their story, promote their centre, and break stereotypes along the way via the reporter Katelyn Verstraten and the Toronto Star. Katelyn Verstraten uses a social model of disability lens in her writing. The Toronto Star is Canada's largest daily newspaper, it is published seven days a week in the Greater Toronto Area (The Toronto Star, 2015). The Star's main principle is to provide the public population with the most accurate transmission of news and opinion through the highest standards of journalistic integrity (The Toronto Star, …show more content…

Similarly, in Western cultures masculinity is associated to having an able-body, the physically disabled male is often referred to as feminine (Scott, 2014). In Scott's (2014) article he mentions a man named Kale whose colleague asks if the semi-attractive woman was his nurse, Kale called him an asshole and told his colleague it was his wife. This is related to Natalie’s experience of people asking if she is Tim's Mother, sister, friend, or nurse, she explains that no one has ever asked her if she was Tim's wife (Verstraten, 2014). Both scenario's reiterate how society culturally positions men with physical disabilities as “other”, and upsets the dominant understandings of gender performances (Scott, 2014). Additionally, this can be connected to the YouTube video “Shit Able-bodied People Say to People With Disabilities”, questioning and making assumptions regarding the relationship between Natalie and Tim is a complete violation of their privacy. The couple view themselves as role-models due to the lack of support, and not seeing many people similar to their situation. Together they are working to break down the myths and misconceptions that people with disabilities are not sexual beings (Verstraten,

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