Beyond Models: Some Tentative Daoist Contributions to Disability Studies

Abstract

Seeking away 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.  This essay incorporates core Daoist themes to map alternative ways for thinking and talking about disability and chronic conditions.  A Daoist worldview can offer distinctive modes of responding to chronic disabilities which move beyond the standard or typical models.  Daoism illustrates that many forms of human embodiment are aspects of a single, ever-changing way and invites the integration of disability into the understanding of human life without necessitating categorization, definition, or cure.