Reprezentacje niepełnosprawności w przestrzeniach kultury
Representations of Disability in Cultural Spaces
Contributor(s): Małgorzata Gajak-Toczek (Editor)
Subject(s): Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: disability; inclusion; otherness; stereotype; subjectivity
Summary/Abstract: The publication addresses the issue of the representation of people with disabilities from humanistic, historical, social, linguistic, literary, and didactic perspectives. The point of departure for the discussion is the conviction that disability cannot be understood solely as a medical category, but should be analyzed as a cultural, social, and axiological phenomenon that reveals the functioning of norms, otherness, exclusion, and subjectivity. The articles collected in the volume present diverse representations of disability in literary, cultural, media, and educational texts, pointing both to mechanisms of stereotyping and to attempts to overcome them. Particular attention is given to analyses concerning the possibilities of discussing disability in didactic practice, as well as to reflections on language as a tool for shaping the social perception of people with disabilities. The authors draw attention to the importance of terminology, lexical connotations, metaphors, and modes of evaluation, which may either reinforce social barriers or support inclusive attitudes. The publication, which is the outcome of the student and doctoral conference “The Image of People with Disabilities in Language, Literature, Culture, and Didactics,” constitutes an interdisciplinary attempt to broaden reflection on disability and to indicate new directions in research on its linguistic, literary, and cultural representation.
Series: Uniwersytet Łódzki
- E-ISBN-13: 978-83-8331-985-8
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-8331-984-1
- Page Count: 122
- Publication Year: 2026
- Language: Polish
Wstęp
Wstęp
(Introduction)
- Author(s):Małgorzata Gajak-Toczek, Kamil Ostrowski
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:7-10
- No. of Pages:4
Świat osoby z niepełnosprawnością. Kilka uwag wokół Poczwarki Doroty Terakowskiej
Świat osoby z niepełnosprawnością. Kilka uwag wokół Poczwarki Doroty Terakowskiej
(The World of a Person with a Disability: A Few Remarks on Dorota Terakowska’s Poczwarka)
- Author(s):Kamila Socha
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:11-26
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:Down syndrome; disability; family; acceptance; Poczwarka
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of this article is to analyse the novel Poczwarka by Dorota Terakowska in the context of the literary representation of the life of a child with Down syndrome and the challenges faced by its parents. The novel shows a deep reflection on the value of life, empathy and unconditional love, providing a literary starting point for a broader discussion on the social acceptance and integration of people with disabilities. The analysis focuses on the process of emotional transformation of the main character’s parents, their clash with their own expectations and prejudices, and the ways in which they overcome the fears associated with raising a child with Down syndrome. Through a literary interpretation, the article highlights the importance of education, empathy and social support in building an inclusive society. The issues raised are of particular relevance in the context of contemporary social policy, and Terakowska’s literary treatment of the topic provides a valuable space for reflection and dialogue.
Pies przewodnik w przestrzeni XXI-wiecznych reprezentacji niepełnosprawności. Propozycje lekturowe i ich adaptacja na lekcjach języka polskiego
Pies przewodnik w przestrzeni XXI-wiecznych reprezentacji niepełnosprawności. Propozycje lekturowe i ich adaptacja na lekcjach języka polskiego
(The Guide Dog in Twenty-First-Century Representations of Disability: Reading Proposals and Their Adaptation for Polish Language Lessons)
- Author(s):Patrycja Miśkiewicz
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:27-42
- No. of Pages:16
- Keywords:children’s literature; guide dog; disability; therapeutic role of animals; emotional education;moral values; breaking stereotypes; human-animal friendship; empathy and sensitivity; Megan Rix; Katarzyna Śpiewak
- Summary/Abstract:In my article I address the role of dogs as guides, companions and therapists in literature aimed at young readers. The analysis is based on two selected works: Elcia and Dot. The mystery of the missing puppies by Megan Rix and Xirto, my mom’s guide dog by Katarzyna Śpiewak. In both works, four-legged friends play a significant role in the lives of people with disabilities, being not only a support to the heroines in their struggles with limitations, but also a source of love, joy and inspiration. The thesis discusses how children’s literature brings readers closer to the influence of animals on the lives of heroes, conveying basic values i.e. acceptance, compassion, respect, friendship and growing up. Character stories combined with a deep relationship with a guide dog break down stereotypes of disenfranchisement, teaching children to respond to the needs of others, fostering in them traits of sensitivity and empathy.
Przedstawienie wizerunku osób z Zespołem Downa w wybranej literaturze dla dzieci i młodzieży
Przedstawienie wizerunku osób z Zespołem Downa w wybranej literaturze dla dzieci i młodzieży
(Representations of People with Down Syndrome in Selected Children’s and Young Adult Literature)
- Author(s):Wiktoria Tatar
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:43-56
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Down syndrome; children’s and young adult literature; fairy tale therapy; psychoeducational books; disability
- Summary/Abstract:The article discusses the genetic condition known as Down syndrome. The author examines how contemporary children’s book authors portray the challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and their families. The article also addresses the concept of fairy tale therapy and the potential it holds for introducing young readers to difficult yet important topics.
Ciało wiersza, ciało poetki w Znikopisie Urszuli Kozioł
Ciało wiersza, ciało poetki w Znikopisie Urszuli Kozioł
(The Body of the Poem, the Body of the Poet in Urszula Kozioł’s Znikopis)
- Author(s):Katarzyna Majca-Lipa
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:57-69
- No. of Pages:13
- Keywords:Urszula Kozioł; Polish contemporary poetry; women’s poetry; metapoetics; self-thematization; irony
- Summary/Abstract:This article attempts to analyse Urszula Kozioł’s volume Znikopis, first published as part of the collection Ucieczki (2016) and then as a separate poetry collection (2019). The text of the volume can be read as an elegiac document of gradual departure, an auto-record of the experience of fading away in the physical, emotional and creative dimensions. Aware of the limitations of age, the poet plays with poetic convention: she deconstructs traditional stylistic devices, engages in self-referential reflection on the condition of the poem, and uses irony as a strategy for coming to terms with transience. Kozioł’s works intensify meaning in an economical and subtly nuanced form, revolving around the experience of loss, integration, the physical stitching together of fragments, resistance to passing, departure, the fading of memory, physical and creative abilities. The analysis will conclude that the poet creates an autothematic portrait of the poet’s body and the body of poetry in decay. The works contained in Znikopis are an attempt to organise scattered fragments of language into a coherent whole, and at the same time a gesture of opposition to complete disappearance – of the writing body and the material body.
„Dziś nie ma szczęśliwych”, czyli Antoniego Godziemby Wysockiego podróż do zakładu psychiatrycznego. Dom zdrowia jako głos w XIX-wiecznym przedstawianiu osób z dysfunkcją psychiczną
„Dziś nie ma szczęśliwych”, czyli Antoniego Godziemby Wysockiego podróż do zakładu psychiatrycznego. Dom zdrowia jako głos w XIX-wiecznym przedstawianiu osób z dysfunkcją psychiczną
(“Today There Are No Happy People”: Antoni Godziemba Wysocki’s Journey to a Psychiatric Institution. Dom zdrowia as a Voice in Nineteenth-Century Representations of People with Mental Dysfunction)
- Author(s):Kamil Ostrowski
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:71-85
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:psychiatry; 19th century; Wysocki; mental illnesses; literature
- Summary/Abstract:Mental dysfunctions are a topic that began to be widely discussed in medical discourse in the 19th century. access can also be seen in the genealogical origins of modern psychiatry. At the same time, with the advent of Young Poland, mental illness committed by the writer in their works. This is the case with Antoni Godziemba Wysocki, who re-reads Sztyrmer, Kraszewski, but also people from the world of science, creating his collection of sketches Dom zdrowia. In an article on the use that poses a threat to sick people in the 19th century, the use of which is incomparable in relation to the disease state. Note the individuals with dysfunctions identified in Wysocki’s work, which is different from what is available to the Lviv author in the works of Kraszewski and Sztyrmer.
Motyw świętego szaleńca a obraz osób z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną – próba przekroju
Motyw świętego szaleńca a obraz osób z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną – próba przekroju
(The Motif of the Holy Fool and Representations of Intellectual Disability: An Attempt at a Cross-Sectional Overview)
- Author(s):Magdalena Miszczuk
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:87-92
- No. of Pages:6
- Keywords:romanticism; ennoblement; people with disabilities; jurodivyj
- Summary/Abstract:The article focuses on showing the similarities between the leading romantic characters and the Fool of Christ figure. A Holly Fool is a type of saint in Orthodox culture. It consists of extreme asceticism and renunciation of social life, as well as the deliberate feigning of “stupidity.” For the romantics, this motif has become a cause for ennoblement in the culture of all kinds of disorders and mental illness.
„Ale bardzo niemrawy i bardzo koślawy”. Niekonwencjonalne sposoby kreowania problemu niepełnosprawności w tekstach kultury. Od poezji po wystąpienia kabaretowe XXI wieku
„Ale bardzo niemrawy i bardzo koślawy”. Niekonwencjonalne sposoby kreowania problemu niepełnosprawności w tekstach kultury. Od poezji po wystąpienia kabaretowe XXI wieku
(“But Very Sluggish and Very Awkward”: Unconventional Ways of Representing Disability in Cultural Texts, from Poetry to Twenty-First-Century Cabaret Performances)
- Author(s):Mikołaj Połetek
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:93-106
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:disability; unconventionality; irony; cultural texts; black humor; political correctness
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of this article was to analyze unconventional methods used by authors of various cultural texts to portray characters with disabilities. The study drew on works on a variety of topics (poetry, prose, film, cabaret performances) in which people with disabilities were prominent characters. The authors exploited the issue of disability in a rather inappropriate way to depict, among other things, the depth of suffering and to debunk negative stereotypes about people with disabilities, in order to highlight the fact that people perceived as “Others” are no different from able-bodied individuals. Disability often serves as a backdrop, with the prevailing harmful social conditions taking center stage. Unconventional creative techniques often include irony, comedy, and emotional or even pejorative vocabulary, which in the 21st century has acquired vulgar and stigmatizing meanings.
Nazewnictwo osób z niepełnosprawnością i osób chorujących a świadomość językowa studentów kierunków medycznych
Nazewnictwo osób z niepełnosprawnością i osób chorujących a świadomość językowa studentów kierunków medycznych
(The Naming of People with Disabilities and People Experiencing Illness in the Context of Medical Students’ Linguistic Awareness)
- Author(s):Julia Rybicka
- Language:Polish
- Subject(s):Social Sciences, Education, Pedagogy
- Page Range:107-121
- No. of Pages:15
- Keywords:inclusion; disability; illness; language
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of this study was to assess the linguistic knowledge of students from the Medical University of Łódź regarding terminology for people with disabilities and those with illnesses (both mental and physical). The study aimed to determine whether medical students at UMED pay attention to the negative connotations of the terms they use in their academic and professional practice and whether they are aware of inclusive language. The research was conducted using a survey in which a total of 64 students from various medical fields participated. The survey included both closed and open-ended questions, and its structure was based on recommendations from experts at the Polish Language Council, Judy Cohen’s guidelines, and suggestions from linguists at the University of Warsaw. Quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that, although students demonstrate linguistic sensitivity, their knowledge of inclusive communication is incomplete. The study revealed the need to introduce courses in inclusive language to enable these future professionals to approach patients with greater empathy and respect, avoiding stigmatizing language that could deepen the sense of exclusion among people dealing with various limitations.
