INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH CULTURE SOCIETY

Abstract: Disability Studies has recently gained prominence in cultural studies with the view to establishing a society free from preconceived notions concerning physical disabilities in general and cognitive disabilities in particular. Jodi Picoult’s House Rules portrays how Jacob, a 17-year-old boy diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, navigates the legal system constructed by the rigid norms and binaries such as normal/abnormal and ability/disability. The paper presents House Rules as a counter-narrative archive, exposing the stigmatizing perceptions of the legal system, a powerful institutional archive that fails to acknowledge the neurological variation. Furthermore, it is complicated by the fact that autistic memories are effaced within the ableist society in order to maintain the supremacy of order and ability. Algorithmic forms of evaluation draw no attention to the cognitive requirements of Jacob, such as a serene state with minimal sensory stimulation. Viewing this novel through the lens of the social model of disability, the research paper advocates inclusiveness when addressing the sensitive memories of the whole autistic community. House Rules seeks to re-examine the socially attributed values imposed on Jacob in order to subvert the biased notions of legal and cultural archives, thereby fostering a healthy environment for individuals with disabilities.