Life on Mount Obstacle: Disease of existence as condition and possibility

In this paper we will use Mount Obstacle as a metaphor to lay out a third way in disability research, between the dominant approaches guided by the ’medical model’ and the ’social model’ (Jespersen & McNamee, 2008). We will present this third way as a necessary alternative if we are to understand the meaning of participation in adapted physical activity and disability sport.
A first step on this way is to acknowledge that the meaning of Mount Obstacle is not given in itself. This is in accordance with Merleau-Ponty’s (1962) analysis of human freedom, where he described how a mountain can only be perceived as climbable or unclimbable in relation to human projects and abilities. So there are several ways in which Mount Obstacle can be experienced by human beings, and in this perspective we are going to argue that the ’medical model’ of disability implies assisting ‘normal functioning’ to ease the way to the summit of Mount Obstacle. The ’social model’ of disability on the other hand implies removing Mount Obstacle to secure participation for everyone.
Without neglecting that both perspectives can be relevant, we are going to argue that both mirrors an ideal of what Kretchmar (2006) has described as ”life on Easy Street”, because neither of them allows understanding the potential value of climbing Mount Obstacle. It is therefore relevant to pursue a third way that acknowledge how the dis-ease related to obstacles can be experienced as meaningful, rather than something to get rid of. To do this we will analyze various kinds of human meaning that can be found on Mount Obstacle, departing from two key positions:
First, Camus (1967) used The Myth of Sisyphus to describe how the experience of obstacles is a human condition. In cases of disability this condition is of course more evident, but the task is still to create meaning from this absurd condition. Sisyphus is to Camus an ’absurd hero’ because he is aware of and acknowledges the challenge that he is condemned to. This means that the struggle to overcome the necessary obstacle can become a meaningful pursuit, wherefore Camus concluded: ”The struggle to reach the summits is enough to fill a human heart. One has to conceive of Sisyphus as a happy man.” (ibid., p 117, our translation)
Secondly, human beings are also free to choose our own mountain to climb. In fact, we tend to do so all the time and the reason why this makes sense can be illustrated by Suits’ (2005) classical treatise on game playing. By choosing to climb Mount Obstacle the activity of climbing becomes an end in itself, which opens for experiencing the intrinsic value related to voluntarily attempting to overcome the unnecessary obstacle.
In both cases life on Mount Obstacle can become the (play)ground for meaningful activity and together they can shed a valuable light on the dis-ease of existence in general and participation in adapted physical activity and disability sport in particular.