Hello friends đ€
It has felt like a very busy week! Huge milestone in doing my first oral history interview, though. A few hiccups but my participant was brilliant and I am looking forward to doing more!!
đ Activities đŒ
Monday 22 Jan.
AM. Scoped interview spaces; submitted case for participant payments
PM. Supervisor phonecall with Neil
Tuesday 23 Jan. Collected recording equipment; first oral history interview!
Wednesday 24 Jan. Revising American long cane chapter
Thursday 25 Jan.
AM. PGR Advisor meeting;
PM. History of Disability and Emotions workshop discussion group
Friday 26 Jan. Revising American long cane chapter
Sunday 28 Jan. Started reading Gemma Almond-Brownâs book for a review
đĄJames Biggs đ
Miraculously, when I wasnât even looking for it, I came across the source for James Biggsâ story about inventing the white stick. Canât believe I missed it when I was writing my chapter on that very topic. I honestly thought I had exhausted all options. Then, I stumble across it when researching something completely different for a later chapter. The internet is amazing.
The source (a first-hand account by Biggs himself) concurs with my other evidence and argument, too, which is heartening. I think it will definitely strengthen my chapter. I feel vindicated.
One question that remains though is where the date of 1921 came from. In the original source (published in 1937) Biggs states that he painted his stick white âseventeen yearsâ ago. Iâm no maths genius, but I am pretty sure that would have been 1920. Yet the popular story always says he did so in 1921. I am fairly certain that I have found the original (and only) source for the Biggs account, though, suggesting this dating is a mistake. In the grand scheme of things, this doesnât matter. I think the claim of an sole inventor (for anything, but especially this) is fundementally flawed.
However, it is is definitely interesting to consider why the Biggs account has become the accepted narrative. I suppose all it takes is one official website or academic article to state it as fact (without saying where they got it from, by the way!). Then, everybody just cites THAT source and it goes unquestioned. Not helped by the fact that few people seem to really care about writing a critcal history of the white cane.
Worth exploring either way.
đïž Gemma Almond-Brown đ
Started reading Gemma Almond-Brownâs book Spectacles and the Victorians: Measuring, Defining and Shaping Visual Capacity so that I can write a review for the BJHS. It was so perfect I couldnât pass up the opportunity.
No spoilers for the review, but already I am super excited. It has sparked some ideas and given some extra context for my own research. After just the introduction!
I feel extra lucky to have met Gemma when she presented on her research for an seminar on Coreenâs disability history module when I was an undergrad. I can also see Coreenâs influence which, inevitably, means that Gemmaâs approach and interests align with my own (since Coreen has been a huge influence for me, too!).
It was also neat to read the acknowledgements which mentioned a bunch of other UK disability historians - including Julie Anderson, David Turner and Graeme Gooday. Yes, my relationships to them are only tangental, but it still feels incredibly cool and is a reminder that it is a small world!
đ New Words đ
surfeit. noun. an excessive amount of something.
Despite the lack of information about the mobility needs of blind people, there was a surfeit of experimental electronic travel devices.
𧩠Entertainment đș
đș Finished The Traitors. What a finale. I was so invested that I watched the Aftershow and read hundreds of comments on Reddit afterwards.
đș Finished Fresh Off the Boat đ and Love, Lies and Records
đș Started watching Children Ruin Everything and Love Island: All Stars
đ Read The Nurse. The main character gave me the ick which made this less fun to read. âïžïžâïžïž
đ Finished reading The Silent Bride. Silly? Yes. Fun? Also yes. âïžïžâïžïžâïžïž
đź Defeated two more gym leaders on Pokemon Violet, and caught two new Eevee evolutions!
đš Two more pokemon drawn - one I still need to colour, though
𧩠Bit more work on the gingerbread Wasjig jigsaw
A very busy week indeed, glad your oral history went well. Now the first one is done hopefully you will feel better going into the next one.