Prosthetics in Motion: Techno-Ableism and the Amputee Body, 1945-present

• In Event: Beyond the Prosthetic Imaginary: New Intersections between STS and Disability Studies - I

Abstract

Techno-optimism is embraced by the prosthetics industry and rehabilitation therapy. Becoming an amputee involves being exposed to a barrage of images and media that glorify bodies with prosthetics in motion. Improvements in prosthetics often spike after times of war, and questions of what we owe those who fought play heavily into how prosthetics are conceived, developed and promoted. This presentation introduces a new frame for techno-optimistic ideology that a co-presenter has termed “techno-ableism,” and traces the development of that ideology by presenting two historical cases: (1.) WWII-era and post-WWII era US Government-produced films that feature amputee veterans on display, and (2.) contemporary images of amputees in amputee-community-specific publications and magazines, many of which have been shaped by veteran images and narratives, despite the fact that only a small fraction of whose amputations are related to military service. In each case, we explore how tropes of techno-ableism have affected the lives of individual amputees (civilian and veteran). Our narrative locates and traces techno-ableist ideology in post-war efforts geared toward returning wounded veterans to society “whole.” Drawing from history of medicine and disability studies, as well as our training as STS scholars, our collaborative mapping demonstrates how these powerful techno-ableist ideologies frame, narrate, and influence the experience of being an amputee, of using assistive technologies, and of being publicly represented and consumed in this milieu.

Authors

• Monique Dufour, Virginia Tech

• Ashley Shew, Virginia Tech