As we near the end of the year, the sense of time turning is more palpable than ever. There is a collective need to look back at the year that was, and what were its highlights. In modern times, the phrase “time is money” is often heard in social or professional circles. The more one can reach their goals ‘on time’ the higher goes their productivity, their capital.
However, what happens when ‘time’ becomes a privilege? What if following the mainstream idea of it, that is neatly structured into days, weeks, and months becomes inaccessible for many?
Time doesn’t work the same way for the disabled community. And often this expectation of living life ‘on time’ can become a burden for them. This is where the concept of ‘crip time’—that was born within the disability justice movement—comes in. Through this article we will explore the meaning of Crip Time, and how it creates a space of affirmation and gives agency to the disabled and neurodivergent community. We will envision how to apply the nuances of Crip Time to create workplaces that makes space for employees to work at their own pace.
The term “Crip Time” originated within the disability movement. The word ‘crip’ was reclaimed from the previously derogatory slur “crippled” by the disabled community. In a nutshell, ‘Crip Time’ acknowledges that the experience of time is very different for different bodies. When a person is living with a physical disability—e.g. sensory or locomotor impairment, or a chronic invisible illness, or neurodivergence—their experience of time can slow down or speed up, depending on the traits of their disability.
Crip Time is a response to the capitalistic understanding of ‘clock time’. As the era of industrialization dawned and the first modern factories opened their doors, workers began to follow a “9 to 5” schedule. As technology steadily improved, workers began clocking in and out of their workspaces. This tradition of living by the clock has gradually become a requirement of modern society. From all the talk of ‘deadlines’ at modern-day workplaces, to spaces like schools and colleges who follow this segmented understanding of time; where ‘class periods’ are even distributed by the hour, with ‘recess time’ placed at the midway mark.
Not only in the social sphere, but clock time also informs the personal. Children are expected to hit developmental markers like walking or their first spoken words within a certain time. Even the lives of adults are also bound by accepted ‘social scripts’ which dictates the acceptable time to finish education, to get a job, to get married, or have a child. Not reaching these ‘milestones’ at the right time, is considered a sign of failure.
Increasing adherence to ‘clock time’ gave rise to ‘productivity culture’. Working during segmented time, led to earning money or capital. Many of the early factory workers and even today many workers are paid by the hour. So how much work a person does in a given amount of time was directly tied to them getting access to resources. As this dependence on ‘clock time’ grew, a person’s productivity was directly linked to how successful they could be. The flip side of this was, in case a person couldn’t be active during work time, they would fall behind and struggle to reach the meaning of ‘success’ dictated by capital gain. ‘Clock time’ is supposed to be a constant linear progression, neatly segmented into times of work, followed by times of rest. A person’s growth is measured by their continued efficiency and progress. Progress is maintained and measured by perpetual productivity, tight schedules and rigid deadlines.
Disability scholars like Alison Kafer and Ellen Samuels pointed out that the popular understanding of time which is divided into 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year, was not quite designed with the disabled person in mind. They argue how ‘clock time’ is based on the assumption of everybody being non-disabled and therefore able to meet these standards. This segregation of time is therefore rooted in ableist prejudice—ableism is the form of bias and discrimination that is directed towards disabled persons.
Technically, the word ‘Crip Time’ refers to the time experienced by a disabled body. Therefore, the phrase is both a definition and a description, wherein it acknowledges the temporal experiences of disabled individuals. It offers a different alternative, that is empowering to the disabled community, where time doesn’t have to be a ‘race’ to be run, but can be a garden which can be gently strolled through.
The popular acceptance of ‘clock time’ in mainstream systems is apparent when teachers expect students to finish multiple projects within tight deadlines, or when coaches talk about developing ‘time management skills’ in corporate spaces. It is rooted in an ableist bias, that there is one correct way to measure progress through time, and those who cannot keep up are somehow lesser in worth or capacity. This single understanding of time can be very limiting for disabled bodies. Often disabled and neurodivergent persons speak about ‘lagging behind’ or ‘losing time’ when forced to adhere to Crip Time.
Many in the disabled community observe, that ‘disabled people do not have the same 24 hours as non-disabled persons’. Therefore, it is significant to understand the lived experiences of the disabled community when exploring the diversity of Crip Time and how it is experienced. Disabled bodies, with a sensory impairment (e.g. visually or speech impaired) or locomotor impairment (e.g. wheelchair-user) often need more time to move through daily chores and tasks. Similarly, those with chronic disabilities like fibromyalgia or heart conditions, can often experience fatigue and need frequent breaks and periods of rest.
When it comes to neurodivergent persons, there are cognitive, sensory, executive differences that lead to an experience of time that widely varies from ‘clock time’. Cognitive differences, like ‘time agnosia’—which refers to perceiving the passage of time differently—often ‘expands’ the sense of time for those who live with it. Sensory sensitivities can often lead to overwhelm and result in neurodivergent persons needing frequent breaks to recover. Often executive differences—implying a difference in being able to initiate and sustain tasks—can lead to executive dysfunction, meaning a person is stuck in freeze state not being able to begin their task or finish it. Executive dysfunction is more commonly known as ‘procrastination’. Persons with social differences, need down-time after engaging in social situations. With emotional differences, a person can experience what feels like high or low moods which affects their relation to time. For all of these people, energy and focus fluctuates depending on their physical and mental health. With that their experience of time also either slows down or goes faster.
Since our societal structures—educational, medical, legal, work—created in adherence with ‘clock time’ they can be very inaccessible to those whose lives are shaped by Crip Time. It often leads to creating systemic barriers for disabled and neurodivergent persons and result in physical and psychological distress. Systems that don’t account for Crip Time can lead to exclusion of disabled and neurodivergent persons.
It can look like a disabled person not being able to complete a bureaucratic time-bound process (like filing for taxes) in time. It can look a housewife with chronic illness always feeling exhausted with no space to rest. It can look like a college student always lagging behind in submitting assignments. It can look like an employee always turning up late for early morning meetings. This inability to ‘keep up’ can lead to guilt and shame, breed isolation and ultimately lead to anxiety, depression and even suicidal ideation,
As more and more scholars are exploring the nuances of Crip Time, it is also gaining visibility in disability movements, including the neurodiversity movement. Therefore, social, legal, medical spaces should also align with the concept of Crip Time that is informed by the lived realities of disabled and neurodivergent persons. There needs to be a collective shift to allow Crip Time to co-exist alongside ‘clock time’.
To embrace a more affirming and inclusive work culture, establishments can inculcate small practical steps to accept those who work under Crip Time.
When systems don’t account for Crip Time, they are inadvertently contributing the disability of disabled persons. These small accommodations can ensure the creation of workspaces and cultures where the lived experiences of all employees are embraced, instead of being stigmatized.
Written by Usri Basistha (They/She)
