Professor Kudlick on Pushing Limits: Disability as Unexpected Gift

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS BLOG -- “A San Francisco Bay Area radio station, KPFA, will offer a scholarly book as a gift in its July 2016 pledge drive. Sure, these pleas for listener contributions often give away books, along with the iconic tote bags and baseball caps. But this particular book is not the usual token of appreciation. “Ironically, Paul K. Longmore’s ‘Telethons: Spectacle, Disability and the Business of Charity’ exposes the problematic history of fundraising and charitable giving. In fact, the book — and the gift — push us to look at the real damage that’s done when pathetic and tragic images of disabled people are used to raise money.” Catherine Kudlick is professor of History and director of the Paul K. Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University. She oversaw completion of Professor Longmore’s posthumously published ‘Telethons’ book.