The serious side of humour
A comic and an academic both believe that focusing on the lighter side of life can develop better community understanding of disability issues.
"I just draw on my everyday experiences and view on life," Elizabeth Navratil says.
Performance artist Elizabeth Navratil harnesses the power of humour to try to dispel negative stereotypes about people with a disability.
Her comedy routines are based on day-to-day life as a person with cerebral palsy.
"My first aim is to entertain and make people laugh," Elizabeth says.
"And if that encourages my audiences to re-assess their perspective and understanding of people with a disability, then that's a bonus."
The highlights of Elizabeth's 20-year stage career include performing with Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush and being honoured in 2003 with a Centenary Medal for service to the performing arts as a comedian and as an advocate for people with a disability.
"People say my sense of humour is quite black, but I don't see it that way," she says.
"I just draw on my everyday experiences and view on life."
A Brisbane university lecturer also uses humour to inspire her students and raise awareness of people with a disability.
Dr Fiona Kumari Campbell, a lecturer in disability studies at Griffith University, uses disability-based comedy as a teaching tool to challenge students' perceptions of people with a disability.
"I see disability-based comedy as a medium to disprove the theory that disability is a tragedy and there could be nothing to laugh about," she says.
"It is about empowering people with a disability to regain control and challenge misguided perceptions."
Dr Kumari Campbell uses different mediums to express disability-based humour in her lectures. These include readings such as 'On Being a Cripple' from the book Plain Text by University of Arizona academic Nancy Mairs, various DVDs and podcasts from websites such as the BBC's Ouch.it's a disability thing, plus cartoons and images.
She says she hopes her humorous approach to teaching and ongoing research into disability-based comedy will encourage debate and discussion and help to reverse negative stereotypes.
"It is about empowering people with a disability to regain control and challenge misguided perceptions"
"I believe that by using humour as a teaching mechanism, I can better engage my students and capture their attention," Dr Kumari Campbell says.
"By showing them the quirky or lighter side of life with a disability, I hope to get them thinking and talking about why they might be feeling uncomfortable [when in contact with people with a disability]."
Dr Kumari Campbell speaks from experience when she describes herself as a passionate advocate for people with a disability.
"Following a spinal cord injury in my early 20s, I spent 12 years in a wheelchair," she says.
Now physically mobile following years of rehabilitation, Dr Kumari Campbell said she hopes to challenge the notion that people with a disability are victims and should be pitied.
"Disability-based humour is an excellent tool for developing a greater awareness and understanding of how people with a disability can lead very positive and active lives," she says.
"I also see it as a way to encourage more young people to get involved in community management and caring for people with a disability.
"I realise disability-based comedy can be misunderstood but that shouldn't stop us from celebrating life in all its guises."
For more information:
www.griffith.edu.au/scholl/hsv
www.nancymairs.com
www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/podcast
Last updated November 2007