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 <title>Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability - Darth Vader</title>
 <link>https://for-import-sfstatelongmoreinstitute.pantheonsite.io/tags/darth-vader</link>
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 <title>The First Disabled Lego?</title>
 <link>https://for-import-sfstatelongmoreinstitute.pantheonsite.io/first-disabled-lego</link>
 <description>&lt;div class=&quot;field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-items&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;By: Emily Beitiks&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;Big news this week, from &lt;a href=&quot;http://money.cnn.com/2016/01/28/news/companies/lego-wheelchair-minifigure/index.html&quot; style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;CNN&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to the &lt;a href=&quot;https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;amp;rct=j&amp;amp;q=&amp;amp;esrc=s&amp;amp;source=web&amp;amp;cd=2&amp;amp;cad=rja&amp;amp;uact=8&amp;amp;ved=0ahUKEwjYzuTxyM_KAhVD_mMKHeBwBBIQqQIIIDAB&amp;amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fculture%2F2016%2Fjan%2F27%2Flego-unveils-disabled-minifigure-promobricks-nuremberg-toy-fair&amp;amp;usg=AFQjCNG0bZBd7V2bzVVSF7Np4HimsQKy-Q&amp;amp;sig2=nTR7xm0qbD__c8BSnXcRaQ&quot; style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;i&gt;Guardian&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/a&gt;: Lego has unveiled its first disabled character, a wheelchair rider: &lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lego character in beanie and hoodie, sits in a wheelchair.&quot; class=&quot;alignnone size-full wp-image-641 img-responsive&quot; height=&quot;439&quot; src=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/160128140840-lego-wheelchair-figure-780x439.jpg&quot; width=&quot;780&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;Cynically, one might call this &quot;Handicapitalism&quot; by Lego - a commercialization of disability rather than a genuine effort to diversify their characters. But even without questioning intentions (or the value of children who use wheelchairs to be able to play with a Lego with whom they identify), there is a simple factual misrepresentation in this story. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;span class=&quot;im&quot;&gt;T&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;his is NOT the first Lego character with a disability.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;There&#039;s a hierarchy within disability. Too often, we reduce disability to mean a person in a wheelchair, and we forget the rich array of bodies that are included in disability communities. Also, we fail to see disability when it&#039;s associated with a bad-ass hero... instead we expect to see disability in the pitiful and the tragic.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;There are &lt;i&gt;at least&lt;/i&gt; 5 disabled Lego characters that have been popular for awhile (in addition to the many disabled by mean older siblings or parents who made the painful mistake of stepping on one):&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;ol&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
		&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Pirate&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ol&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;A Lego pirate grimaces. He has an eye patch, a hook hand, and a peg leg.&quot; class=&quot;size-medium wp-image-644 img-responsive alignleft&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lego-pirates-weekend.jpg?w=223&quot; width=&quot;223&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;Cathy Kudlick, Director at the Longmore Institute, &lt;a href=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.wordpress.com/2013/12/02/can-pirates-and-mermaids-be-crusaders-for-disability-rights/&quot; style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;has long been pointing out to people&lt;/a&gt; that we fail to see pirates as the &quot;disability action figures&quot; that they are. With a hook hand, an eye patch, and a peg leg, this guy has a disability trifecta! &lt;/span&gt;      &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Luke Skywalker&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lego Luke Skywalker, holds light saber, his hand is black to indicate his prosthesis.&quot; class=&quot;size-full wp-image-647 img-responsive alignleft&quot; height=&quot;208&quot; src=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/mftqu5xvptzwsa974bhzssa.jpg&quot; width=&quot;225&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;   &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;Star Wars fans have long had the option to purchase Luke, pre- and post-amputation. Even with his hand prosthesis, he still is another example of a &quot;disability action figure.&quot;&lt;/span&gt;    &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Darth Vader&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lego figurine of Darth Vader with light saber, wearing black mask that allows him to breathe.&quot; class=&quot;size-full wp-image-649 img-responsive alignleft&quot; height=&quot;285&quot; src=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/7965_vader.png&quot; width=&quot;233&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;     &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;Full disclosure: I haven&#039;t seen the movies in a long time and my efforts to pin down the exact reason why Darth Vader dies without using his mask to breathe yielded WAY too many results that didn&#039;t help. But he counts. &lt;/span&gt;    &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Abraham Lincoln&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lego of Abraham Lincoln, holding a plastic copy of Gettsyburg address&quot; class=&quot;size-full wp-image-652 img-responsive alignleft&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/lincoln.jpg&quot; width=&quot;280&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;   &lt;span class=&quot;im&quot; style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;While the exact condition is unknown, geneticists and historians believe that Abraham Lincoln had a genetic condition, similar to Marfan syndrome. &lt;/span&gt;        &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Daredevil&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Lego Dare Devil, dressed in red superhero outfit, holds red baton.&quot; class=&quot;size-medium wp-image-654 img-responsive alignleft&quot; height=&quot;300&quot; src=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/il_570xn-728378174_b68y.jpg?w=300&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;He&#039;s blind and uses echolocation to fight bad guys. &lt;/span&gt;    &lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt; &lt;span style=&quot;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);&quot;&gt;And who knows what sort of invisible disabilities these guys might have?&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;img alt=&quot;Give Lego figurines: a woman, a chef, a person wearing a red hat, a long haired lego, a bearded lego with glasses.&quot; class=&quot;size-medium wp-image-692 img-responsive aligncenter&quot; height=&quot;200&quot; src=&quot;https://longmoreinstitute.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/111593716_lego_327122c.jpg?w=300&quot; width=&quot;300&quot; /&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;div&gt;
	&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Congrats to Lego for adding a wheelchair riding Lego, even though it is not their first disabled Lego. Now kiddos: build these little fellas some ramps and accessible houses!&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;span style=&quot;color:#000000;&quot;&gt;*Which Lego characters did I miss? Let me know in the comments section!&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-label&quot;&gt;Tags:&amp;nbsp;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-items&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/abraham-lincoln&quot;&gt;Abraham Lincoln&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item odd&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/accessibility&quot;&gt;accessibility&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/daredevil&quot;&gt;Daredevil&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item odd&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/darth-vader&quot;&gt;Darth Vader&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/disability&quot;&gt;disability&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item odd&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/disability-history&quot;&gt;disability history&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/disability-studies&quot;&gt;disability studies&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item odd&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/disabled-people&quot;&gt;disabled people&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/emily-beitiks&quot;&gt;Emily Beitiks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item odd&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/emily-smith-beitiks&quot;&gt;Emily Smith Beitiks&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/lego&quot;&gt;Lego&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item odd&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/luke-skywalker&quot;&gt;Luke Skywalker&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/pirates&quot;&gt;Pirates&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item odd&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/representation&quot;&gt;representation&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;field-item even&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;/tags/uncategorized&quot;&gt;Uncategorized&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</description>
 <pubDate>Fri, 29 Jan 2016 19:27:06 +0000</pubDate>
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