Reclaiming disabled creativity: How cultural models make legible the creativity of people with disabilities

The field of creativity studies underrepresents—even excludes—creators who have disabilities. The underrepresentation partly reflects an approach that pathologizes disability. Disability as a pathology or marker of ineligibility makes the contributions of people with disabilities invisible or illegible to creativity research. However, disability operates as a marker of membership in a larger disability culture. Considering disability and creativity as cultural phenomena locates a means for including disabled creators in creativity studies. Cultural models describe creativity in terms of groups sharing values, experiences, and resources. People with disabilities participate in subcultures (e.g., deaf communities) and/or larger cultures (i.e., disability culture). Disability cultures encapsulate shared experiences and values as well as resources. In the following article, I pair three propositions from cultural creativity models with evidence from creators with disabilities to demonstrate that (a) members of disability culture experience the world in ways that generate creative expression, (b) encountering a world designed for abled bodies incites the creativity of disabled people, and (c) disabled and abled people collaboratively create. However, not all methodological approaches effectively include creators with disabilities. Qualitative approaches suit best when the researcher practices reflexivity and allows creators with disabilities the right to manage their own representation within the project.

INCLUSÃO DE CRIANÇAS COM SÍNDROME DE DOWN: UM ENSAIO TEÓRICO SOBRE A IMPORTÂNCIA DA RELAÇÃO FAMÍLIA-ESCOLA

Faced with the theme of inclusion, discussions about the importance of the family-school relationship are relevant with regard to the socialization of children with Down Syndrome. In this perspective, the main objective of this essay was to explore the scientific literature about the challenges faced by parents, family and teachers in the process of inclusion of children with Down syndrome. Specifically, this article sought to propose discussions on the importance of community awareness and collaboration to change the paradigm of inclusion. Therefore, scientific articles, books and academic papers found in the Google Scholar database were selected, between the period 2011 to 2021, based on the following keywords: People with disabilities; Down's syndrome; Inclusion; History of people with disabilities; Diagnosis of a child with a disability and; Family-School Relationship. Among the main factors influencing the inclusion process of children with Down's Syndrome, beliefs and stigmas of parents, family members, school professionals and society about the child's ability to deal with other people and learn, stand out. family support and the lack of support/guidance from an interdisciplinary team. The inclusion of people with disabilities still faces barriers and challenges that need to be overcome, however, through the active participation of the scientific community and political-social movements, studies on the theme of inclusion show that changes in this scenario have occurred gradually.