Against Technoableism
Rethinking Who Needs Improvement
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Author
Ashley Shew
Associate Professor
Co Author
Details
- Print length 176 pages
- Publication date August 6, 2024
- Available in Paperback, Hardcover, Audible Audiobook and Kindle eBook
In Against Technoableism, bioethicist Ashley Shew challenges misconceptions about disability and technology, asserting that disabled individuals are the true experts in this realm. She emphasizes the need to eliminate 'technoableism,' the belief that technology can 'fix' disability, and highlights the importance of prioritizing accessibility and inclusivity in society. Shew discusses various aspects of disability, including mobility devices, medical infrastructure, neurodiversity, and the intersection of disability and race. She encourages readers to view disability as a valuable skill set that can empower everyone to navigate an increasingly challenging world.
“Wonderfully lucid.” ―Andrew Leland, New York Times Book Review
- One of BookRiot’s Ten Best Disability Books of the Year
- Shortlisted for the Inc. Non-Obvious Book Awards
A manifesto exploding what we think we know about disability, and arguing that disabled people are the real experts when it comes to technology and disability.
When bioethicist and professor Ashley Shew became a self-described “hard-of-hearing chemobrained amputee with Crohn’s disease and tinnitus,” there was no returning to “normal.” Suddenly well-meaning people called her an “inspiration” while grocery shopping or viewed her as a needy recipient of technological wizardry. Most disabled people don’t want what the abled assume they want―nor are they generally asked. Almost everyone will experience disability at some point in their lives, yet the abled persistently frame disability as an individual’s problem rather than a social one.
In a warm, feisty voice and vibrant prose, Shew shows how we can create better narratives and more accessible futures by drawing from the insights of the cross-disability community. To forge a more equitable world, Shew argues that we must eliminate “technoableism”―the harmful belief that technology is a “solution” for disability; that the disabled simply await being “fixed” by technological wizardry; that making society more accessible and equitable is somehow a lesser priority.
This badly needed introduction to disability expertise considers mobility devices, medical infrastructure, neurodivergence, and the crucial relationship between disability and race. The future, Shew points out, is surely disabled―whether through changing climate, new diseases, or even through space travel. It’s time we looked closely at how we all think about disability technologies and learn to envision disabilities not as liabilities, but as skill sets enabling all of us to navigate a challenging world.
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