Claudia Alick, a guest lecturer in Dr. Maya Dworsky-Rocha’s “Medicine, Body and Culture” class at Brandeis University on March 2, 2023, delivered a lecture on “Heroes and Villains and Disability Futures.” The lecture focused on Alick’s ideas on disability justice and cross movement solidarity. The topics covered included disabled rights vs. disabled justice, cross disability solidarity, ugly laws, how we identify as members of the disability community, crip theory, ableism, access intimacy, and disabled heroes and villains in fiction.

Alick explored the concept of cross movement solidarity and how it can help disabled people to build alliances with other marginalized communities. She also examined the difference between disabled rights and disabled justice, and how the latter concept can help to address the intersectionality of oppression that disabled people face. The lecture discussed the history of ugly laws, which were used to prevent disabled people from appearing in public, and how these laws relate to modern-day ableism.

Additionally, Alick explored crip theory, which challenges traditional notions of normalcy and celebrates disability as a part of human diversity. She also examined access intimacy, that elusive, hard to describe feeling when someone else understands and validates your access needs. The lecture concluded with a discussion of disabled heroes and villains in fiction, and how these portrayals can perpetuate harmful stereotypes or challenge them.

Overall, Claudia Alick’s lecture provided a thought-provoking exploration of disability justice, cross movement solidarity, and the importance of understanding disability as a part of human diversity.

We produced this essay from Claudia’s lecture notes: https://callingupjustice.com/disability-representation-in-comic-book-heroes-and-villains/