Disability And The Sociological Imagination

Disability and the Sociological Imagination provides an expertly developed and accessible overview of the relatively new and growing area of sociology of disability. Written by one of the field’s leading researchers, it discusses the major theorists, research methods, and bodies of knowledge that represents sociology’s key contributions to our understanding of disability. Unlike other available texts, it examines the ways in which major social structures contribute to the production and reproduction of disability, and examines how race, class, gender, and sexual orientation shape the disability experience

The study of disability has traditionally been influenced mainly by medical and psychological models. The aim of this new text, Disability and Society, is to open up the debate by introducing alternative perspectives reflecting the increasing sociological interest in this important topic. Disability and Society brings together for the first time some of the most recent original research in this rapidly expanding area. The contributors, both disabled and non-disabled, are all leading thinkers in their field and suggest new ways of understanding disability, developing policy and challenging current practice.

This is an exciting new introductory textbook for anyone studying disability. As well as providing an excellent overview of the existing literature in the area, the book also develops an understanding of disability that has implications for both sociology and society.

Len Barton’s intellectual and practical contribution to the sociology of disability and education is highly significant and widely known. The leading scholars in this collection, including his long term collaborators, offer both a celebration and a reassessment of this contribution, addressing the challenge that the social model of disability has presented to dominant medicalised concepts, categories and practices, and their power to define the identity and the lives of others. At the same time the authors build upon some of the key themes that are woven through Len Barton’s work, such as his call for a ‘politics of hope’. This collection explores a wide range of topics, including: difference as a field of political struggle the relationship of disability studies, disabled people and their struggle for inclusion radical activism: organic intellectuals and the disability movement discrimination, exclusion and effective change inclusive education the ‘politics of hope’, resilience and transformative actions universal pedagogy, human rights and citizenship debates. The Sociology of Disability and Inclusive Education highlights Len Barton’s humane vision of academic work, of the nature of an inclusive and non-discriminatory society, of the role of an education system which addresses the rights, and potential of all participants. It indicates how such a society could be achieved through the principles of social inclusion, human rights, equity and social justice. This book was originally published as a special issue of the British Journal of Sociology of Education.

This comprehensive, interdisciplinary collection, examines disability from a theoretical perspective, challenging views of disability that dominate mainstream thinking. Throughout, social theories of disability intersect with ideas associated with sex/gender, race/ethnicity, class and nation.

Disability, Augmentative Communication, and the American Dream is a collaborative effort to tell the life story of Jon A. Feucht, a man who was born with a form of cerebral palsy that left him reliant on a wheelchair for mobility, with limited use of his arms and an inability to speak without an assistive communication device. It is a story about finding one’s voice, about defying low expectations, about fulfilling one’s dreams, and about making a difference in the world. Sociologist C. Wright Mills famously called for a “sociological imagination” that grapples with the intersection of biography and history in society and the ways in which personal troubles are related to public issues. Disability, Augmentative Communication, and the American Dream heeds this call through a qualitative “mixed–methods” study that situates Feucht’s life in broader social context, understanding disability not just as an individual experience but also as a social phenomenon. In the tradition of disability studies, it also illuminates an experience of disability that avoids reading it as tragic or pitiable. Disability, Augmentative Communication, and the American Dream is intended as an analytical and empirical contribution to both disability studies and qualitative sociology, to be read by social science scholars and students taking courses in disability studies and qualitative research, as well as by professionals working in the fields of special education and speech pathology. Written in an accessible style, the book will also be of interest to lay readers who want to learn more about disability issues and the disability experience.

This book uses research and personal stories from university lecturers to explore pedagogical strategies that illuminate how students’ minds can be ‘switched on’ in order to unlock their extraordinary potential. It presents diverse ways to create inspiring learning environments, in chapters written by internationally respected experts in the broad field of the social sciences. Each author illustrates how – through their unique teaching philosophies and practices – they seek to enhance students’ experiences and promote their critical thinking, learning and development. The respective chapters provide conceptual arguments, personal insights and practical examples from a broad range of classrooms, demonstrating various ways in which students’ sociological imagination can be brought to life. As such, the book is both practical and theoretical, and is primarily aimed at educators working in both higher and further education institutions who wish to develop their understanding of classroom pedagogy as well as gain practical ideas for teaching and learning in the social sciences.

The study of disability has traditionally been influenced mainly by medical and psychological models. The aim of this new text, Disability and Society, is to open up the debate by introducing alternative perspectives reflecting the increasing sociological interest in this important topic. Disability and Society brings together for the first time some of the most recent original research in this rapidly expanding area. The contributors, both disabled and non-disabled, are all leading thinkers in their field and suggest new ways of understanding disability, developing policy and challenging current practice.