‘Abnormal’ Bodies on the Borders of Inclusion: Biopolitics and the Paradox of Disability Surveillance

When conducted according to the biomedical definition of disability, ‘disability surveillance’ involves monitoring bodies against normative ontological standards, classifying ‘abnormality’ and problematizing ‘abnormal bodies’ as risky. While disability surveillance that operates within a biomedical perspective contributes to the exclusion of disabled people, the counting and classifying of disabled people is necessary to achieve the aims and objectives of the disability rights movement. In examining this paradox, this paper looks at the ways in which the Canadian government defines and measures disability and the implication of discriminatory immigration policies and ableist biometric technologies. A theoretical framework with which to situate and examine disability surveillance is proposed. Drawing from the work of Foucault on normality/abnormality and subsequent literature on biopolitics, this paper contextualizes the paradoxical implications of surveillance practices that target disabled people.