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

sons. The children at the next table keep turning round to look at Charles (l.3:249). We
drank the Veneto merlot cabernet 2007. Charles and Erin mainly discussed management
issues within various organisations of disabled people.
Discussing the evening afterwards, in terms of just going out for a meal, Charles reflected
that it had been:
233
...I‟d say pretty good overall… in terms of the pub… yeah, I mean there wasn‟t
anything glaringly bad… maybe the bit at the start… when he spoke to you and not
me… and said there‟s three of them now… (l.3:511ff.)
It is interesting to note Charles‟ comment about some of those who wait on diners at The
Stag and Rainbow:
… bizarrely some of the staff who work at the nearby local authority day centre
seem to be moonlighting there… so sometimes I‟ll go and they‟ll say “Oh yeah…
you were our trainer…” I‟ve not really had any specific issues there… but, you see,
they saw me as a trainer… I don‟t know if that makes any difference or not… I
suppose they can be patronising from time to time… yeah… what makes me laugh is
that they‟re obviously not being paid much if they have to moonlight in the local
Beefeater… (l.3:314ff.)
Charles cannot say whether or not being recognised as a professional disability equality
trainer has any impact, lessening his chances of being objectified in this specific
environment, although he does observe that the moonlighting day centre staff can still be
patronising. What I consider revealing is that this occurs in a context in which normal power
relations are reversed. Charles is the customer, the diner who is paying, who is recognised as
an expert, while the day centre workers/waiting staff need to take two low-paid jobs and
work day and night to make ends meet. Yet even here there is potential for misrecognition.
While they might lead hard lives, at least they can count their blessings they are not disabled.
That would be real tragedy.
Affirmation
Helen: Work
“They‟d miss you if you left,”
“I don‟t want to leave,