A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of - Etheses - Queen Margaret ...

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make passes at me in that situation… and tell me how brave I am (laughs)… not
necessarily in a patronising way, but… more in a sort of awed-by-the-fact-that-
somebody-would… that I would dare to do that… and I think that‟s made its own
kind of impact… (l.1.695ff.)
Jennie‟s decisions to wear a short skirt can be read in terms of attempting to escape the
disabled role. However, the difficulty of doing this is highlighted not only in the fact that
„people will tend to gape‟ but also in that she is applauded by leering old men for making the
attempt at all. To be seen to be trying to overcome personal limitations is regarded as
behaviour to be commended.
The way you perceive yourself is partly the way other people perceive you… and if
you have people coming up to you in the street and saying “Are you enjoying
yourself racing along… who‟s got the fastest wheelchair…?”…and just approaching
you, where they wouldn‟t dream of approaching other strangers in the street…
(l.1.805ff.)
Rose describes the way that inappropriate intrusion can impact on self-identity. What she
speaks of here is a form of infantilisation, an establishment of power relations which equate
the disabled role with a child role. What is not seen when such remarks are made by non-
disabled strangers, presumably intending to be humorous, is the context of Rose‟s life: in
which, as a result of their reactions to her impairment, her husband has gone, her daughter is
in denial, her friends are not interested. As she says elsewhere:
Even if I was… of equal value… er, in your own eyes… to know that you are not of
equal value in, er… other people‟s eyes… er… influences your perception of
yourself… (l.710ff.)
Describing situations she has experienced when going out with an ex- boyfriend who is also
disabled, Sarah expresses a sense of frustration at being unable to escape the disabled role:
...when we went out as well, when we went out as a couple, people would look at us
and, like, they‟d never say it, but you could see it… “Aww… isn‟t that a shame…”
it‟s like, fuck off… fuck off, you know what… and it would be like… just like
stupid things, like, you‟d go into a restaurant and stuff, and it‟d be like “Oh, is there
someone with you…” ...like… why can‟t you see us just like any ordinary couple
going out… why is there this big palaver which then makes us feel more…