An Introduction To Disability Studies

Disability studies has become a legitimate area of academic study. It is multi-disciplinary in its critique of the oppressions that have historically "dumped" disabled people on the margins of society. This fully revised and updated edition not only explains disability studies as an academic field of inquiry, it also explores many of the current issues affecting the lives and circumstances of disabled people. The book explores and analyzes "quality of life" factors in the lives of disabled people in relation to the professional development of undergraduates and examines the emergence of "rights" for disabled people in the local area, the UK and abroad. The author indicates the strengths and weaknesses of organizations "of" and "for" disabled people, and provides examples of individual and institutional oppressions against disabled people and "success stories," exploring how these have been overcome in education and employment. The book suggests how disabled and non-disabled people can collaborate in the development of inclusive communities and neighborhoods. The text is suitable for students taking courses in the areas of health, social care and allied services at NVQ, BTEC, Degree and PGCE level. The author encourages students to raise their own questions and develop their own forms of inquiry.

"An accessible, comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the key themes, research, and controversies in disability studies"--

This introduction to disability studies represents a clear, engaging and consistently thought-provoking study of the field. The book discusses the global nature of disability studies and disability politics, introduces key debates in the field and represents the intersections of disability studies with feminist, class, queer and postcolonial analyses. The book has a clear and coherent format which matches the interdisciplinary framework of disability studies - including chapters on sociology, critical psychology, discourse analysis, psychoanalysis and education. Sitting alongside discussions on the global and glocal significance of disability studies these chapters include: Society: Sociological disability studies Individuals: De-psychologising disability studies Psychology: Critical psychological disability studies Culture: Psychoanalytic disability studies Education: Inclusive disability studies Each chapter engages with important areas of analysis such as the individual, society, community and education to explore the realities of oppression experienced by disabled people and to develop the possibilities for addressing it. Broad, dynamic and interdisciplinary in scope this book will be crucial reading for students, researchers and practitioners alike.

Passionate, engaging and challenging, this second edition of the ground-breaking Disability Studies: An Interdisciplinary Introduction is a contemporary introduction to this diverse and complex field. Taking an interdisciplinary and critical approach, the book: examines a diverse range of theories and perspectives and engages with current debates in the field explores key areas of analysis, with chapters devoted to the individual, society, community and education applies a global perspective encompassing examples from the UK, Australia, Scandinavia, the US, and Canada. Encouraging and stimulating readers using thought-provoking questions, exercises and activities, Disability Studies is a rich and rewarding read for students and researchers engaging with disability across the social sciences.

Disability Politics and Theory, a historical exploration of the concept of disability, covers the late nineteenth century to the present, introducing the main models of disability theory and politics: eugenics, medicalization, rehabilitation, charity, rights and social and disability justice. A.J. Withers examines when, how and why new categories of disability are created and describes how capitalism benefits from and enforces disabled people’s oppression. Critiquing the currently dominant social model of disability, this book offers an alternative. The radical framework Withers puts forward draws from schools of radical thought, particularly feminism and critical race theory, to emphasize the role of interlocking oppressions in the marginalization of disabled people and the importance of addressing disability both independently and in conjunction with other oppressions. Intertwining theoretical and historical analysis with personal experience, this book is a poignant portrayal of disabled people in Canada and the U.S. — and a call for social and economic justice. This revised and expanded edition includes a new chapter on the rehabilitation model, expands the discussion of eugenics, and adds the context of the growth of the disability justice movement, Black Lives Matter, calls for defunding the police, decolonial and Indigenous land protection struggles, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Images of disability pervade language and literature, yet disability is, as the volume's introduction notes, "the ubiquitous unspoken topic in contemporary culture." The twenty-five essays in Disability Studies provide perspectives on disabled people and on disability in the humanities, art, the media, medicine, psychology, the academy, and society. Edited and introduced by Sharon L. Snyder, Brenda Jo Brueggemann, and Rosemarie Garland-Thomson and containing an afterword by Michael Bérubé (author of Life As We Know It), the volume is rich in its cast of characters (including John Bulwer, Teresa de Cartagena, Audre Lorde, Oliver Sacks, Samuel Johnson, Mark Twain, Walt Whitman); in its powerful, authentic accounts of disabled conditions (deafness, blindness, MS, cancer, the absence of limbs); in its different settings (ancient Greece, medieval Spain, Nazi Germany, the modern United States); and in its mix of the intellectual and the emotional, of subtle theory and plainspoken autobiography.

Delivers knowledge critical to understanding the multidimensional aspects of working with varied populations with disabilities This is the only introduction to disability book with an interdisciplinary perspective that offers cross-disability and intersectionality coverage, as well as a special emphasis on many unique populations. Comprehensive and reader-friendly, it provides current, evidence-based knowledge on the key principles and practice of disability, while addressing advocacy, the disability rights movement, disability legislation, public policy, and law. Focusing on significant trends, the book provides coverage on persistent and emerging avenues in disability studies that are anticipated to impact a growing proportion of individuals in need of disability services. Woven throughout is an emphasis on psychosocial adaptation to disability supported by case studies and field-based experiential exercises. The text addresses the roles and functions of disability service providers. It also examines ethics in service delivery, credentialing, career paths, cultural competency, poverty, infectious diseases, and family and lifespan perspectives. Reinforcing the need for an interdisciplinary stance, each chapter discusses how varied disciplines work together to provide services addressing the whole person. Active learning is promoted through discussion boxes, self-check questions, and learning exercises. Faculty support includes PowerPoints, model syllabi, test bank, and instructor manual. Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers. Key Features: Provides readers with key knowledge and skills needed to effectively practice in multidisciplinary settings Offers interdisciplinary perspectives on conceptualization, assessment, and intervention across a broad range of disabilities and client populations Underscores the intersectionality of disability to correspond with trends in education focusing on social justice and underrepresented populations Includes research and discussion boxes citing current research activities and excerpts from noted experts in various human service disciplines Promotes active learning with discussion boxes, multiple-choice questions, case studies with discussion questions, and field-based experiential exercises Includes instructor manual, sample syllabi, PowerPoint slides, and test bank Identifies key references at the end of chapters and provides resources for additional information Purchase includes digital access for use on most mobile devices or computers.

The essays in this volume are contributions to feminist disability studies. The essays constitute an interdisciplinary dialogue regarding the meaning of feminist disability studies and the implications of its insights regarding identity, the body, and experience.