Waltz, M.

English

This thesis explores how the “hierarchy of impairments” —a collection of prejudices that results in levels of preference for certain types of disabled people over others, while maintaining a general societal preference for non-disabled people—impacted the design, development, management and experience of life in Het Dorp, an accessible urban community for people with physical disabilities in Arnhem, the Netherlands, during its first two decades (1962-1982).Materials analysed included architectural design documents, weekly meeting notes of the Het Dorp management board, media produced for internal and external consumption, contemporary news coverage, contemporary published accounts of residents and researchers, and interviews.Het Dorp arose in the context of the burgeoning Dutch welfare state. Justification of these costs to the public was built through careful selection of early residents, as well as the construction of disabled people as worthy of citizenship via creation of governance structures that gave the appearance of a separate, self-governing community of disabled people. Understanding the hierarchy of impairments provides context for how Het Dorp positioned physically disabled people as a normalisable “model minority.” Resulting displays of normalcy via employment, social participation and self-governance at times differed significantly from the reality of life in Het Dorp. The hierarchy of impairments was embedded at societal and project level, and also internalised by residents.Despite attempts of Het Dorp’s founders to carefully stage-manage the community, residents and some staff recognised the limits of technological solutionism and normalisation to address problems rooted in long-standing attitudes, laws, societal practices and benefits policies. These conflicts were experienced on a personal level, but also gave rise to communal responses and attempts to secure societal change.In sum, the hierarchy of impairments was a key factor in shaping Het Dorp, but Het Dorp also embodied emancipatory possibilities that challenged such constructions

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Het Dorp: How the hierarchy of impairments shaped a pioneering Dutch accessible community

https://research.vu.nl/ws/files/220163317/Waltz.Masters_History_thesis_Het_Dorp.2023.pdf

Het Dorp: How the hierarchy of impairments shaped a pioneering Dutch accessible community

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