One of the challenges for persons with disabilities is resisting the imposition of the various models and definitions onto their bodies, lives, experiences and perceived capacities. In this paper we humbly and incompletely articulate some tentative contributions that Daoism might make to the expanding field of disability studies. There are many approaches to Daoist views of wellness and difference however, there are some important similarities that can be used to help us think about disability. The authors are not experts in Daoism and this paper makes no effort to simplistically summarize a complicated and diverse spiritual tradition in a few pages. Elements of a Daoist perspective on the importance of destabilizing conventional categories in order to enable a creative and harmonious response to an ever changing reality are offered.ĭaoism is a multifaceted, complex combination of religious and nonreligious traditions indigenous to ancient China. In this essay some of the standard models used to categorize those with disabilities are highlighted. Medical, religious, and social models are some examples of the types of explanations offered to help people define disability, and if possible, minimize or eradicate it from the human experience. In an effort to minimize ambiguity and explain disability, western social-scientific models tend to isolate and label individual bodies with descriptive categories such as healthy or sick, normal or abnormal, abled or disabled.
Seeking a way of dynamic balance in the midst of uncertainty and ambiguity is both a core Daoist teaching and a central experience of individuals living with chronic disability or illness.
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