The Sociology of Disability has given me a broader perspective on disability. I have learned that our environments are built for a specific type of body, rather than being inclusive. I have learned that we racialize disability, and that different social categories that we are members of (such as gender, race, class status, etc.) affect how disability is perceived and vice-versa. This insight has made me consider the reactions to my brother’s autism. In my first paper, I wrote about how prior to my brother’s diagnosis with autism and Tourette’s, many teachers believed that his coughing fits were intentionally disruptive. I know I question whether this was a racialized and gendered expectation of behavior. Were teachers assuming that because
