Representations of Disabled Individuals in Outdoor Experiences: Valuing All Experiences Equally

I submitted this research project for Dr. Burch's AMST 0260 "American Disability Studies" course. In my project, I explored the interaction of disability with outdoor recreation. This topic was particularly interesting to me... [ view full abstract ]

I submitted this research project for Dr. Burch's AMST 0260 "American Disability Studies" course. In my project, I explored the interaction of disability with outdoor recreation. This topic was particularly interesting to me due to the development of arthritis in my knee during college. I sought academic and personal stories to better understand the confusing mixture of pain and joy I often feel when hiking. Through exploring the story of the first mountaineer to summit Mount Everest and disability activist Eli Clare, I understand that my own identity as a hiker/fisherman/skier does not have to be contradictory with my arthritic knee. I hope this presentation may help value every outdoor experience at Middlebury equally by identifying ableist aspects of the outdoors and suggesting means to address them.