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.
Building on David M. Engel and Frank W. Munger’s work analyzing the narratives of people with physical and learning disabilities, this book examines the life stories of twelve physically disabled Canadian adults through the prism of the social model of disablement. Using a grounded theory approach and with extensive reporting of the thoughts of the participants in their own words, the book uses narratives to explore whether an advocacy identity helps or hinders dealings with systemic barriers for disabled people in education, employment, and transportation. The book underscores how both physical and attitudinal barriers by educators, employers and service providers complicate the lives of disabled people. The book places a particular focus on the importance of political economy and the changes to the labour market for understanding the marginalization and oppression of people with disabilities. By melding socio-legal approaches with insights from feminist, critical race, and queer legal theory, Ravi Malhotra and Morgan Rowe ask if we need to reconsider the social model of disablement, and proposes avenues for inclusive legal reform.
The second edition of this widely used text has been carefully rewritten to ensure that it is up-to-date with cutting-edge debates, evidence, and policy changes. Since the book's initial publication, there has been an expansion of interest in disability in the social sciences, and disability has come to play an increasingly prominent role in political debates. The new edition takes account of all these developments, and also gives greater emphasis to global issues in order to reflect the increasing and intensifying interdependence of nation states in the twenty-first century. The authors examine, amongst other issues,the changing nature of the concept of disability, key debates in the sociology of health and illness, the politicisation of disability, social policy, and the cultural and media representation of disability. As well as providing an excellent overview of the literature in the area, the book develops an understanding of disability that has implications for both sociology and society. The second edition of Exploring Disability will be indispensable for students across the social sciences, and in health and social care, who really want to understand the issues facing disabled people and disabling societies.
"America is undergoing an intense cultural evolution. Recently, race, sex, and other relations have been incredibly strained, and communities, both urban and rural, have experienced social turbulence, which at times, has erupted into violence. These issues are surfacing at campuses across America. But what underlying factors account for these recurring eruptions of prejudice, discrimination, violence, and hate? And perhaps more importantly, what, if anything, can we, as educators, do to prevent prejudice, promote empathy and understanding, and empower our students to compassionately and thoughtfully navigate these turbulent times? Grappling with these difficult but important questions inspired Exploring Diversity and Discrimination: Sex, Disability, and Genetic Information. The book aims to encourage educators to teach inclusive courses about diversity and discrimination at their respective institutions, and that these courses will provide opportunities for compassionate engagement and meaningful dialogue among people from different backgrounds. Although one book is certainly not an all-inclusive solution, it is a step in the right direction. After all, relations between different groups may continue to deteriorate unless we, as educators, provide more opportunities for meaningful, open, and honest dialogue about these issues and facilitate compassionate engagement with people who differ from us. Such exposure can foster empathy as can education and understanding. With this purpose in mind, the book explores the sociological underpinnings and legal regulation of diversity and discrimination in the United States, primarily through the lens of my areas of scholarly interest and practical expertise: sex discrimination, disability discrimination, and discrimination on the basis of genetic information"--
“Disability rights activist Alice Wong brings tough conversations to the forefront of society with this anthology. It sheds light on the experience of life as an individual with disabilities, as told by none other than authors with these life experiences. It's an eye-opening collection that readers will revisit time and time again.” —Chicago Tribune One in five people in the United States lives with a disability. Some disabilities are visible, others less apparent—but all are underrepresented in media and popular culture. Activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, galvanizing collection of contemporary essays by disabled people, just in time for the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, From Harriet McBryde Johnson’s account of her debate with Peter Singer over her own personhood to original pieces by authors like Keah Brown and Haben Girma; from blog posts, manifestos, and eulogies to Congressional testimonies, and beyond: this anthology gives a glimpse into the rich complexity of the disabled experience, highlighting the passions, talents, and everyday lives of this community. It invites readers to question their own understandings. It celebrates and documents disability culture in the now. It looks to the future and the past with hope and love.
Exploring issues of disability culture, activism, and policy across the African continent, this volume argues for the recognition of African disability studies as an important and emerging interdisciplinary field.
Disability Incarcerated gathers thirteen contributions from an impressive array of fields. Taken together, these essays assert that a complex understanding of disability is crucial to an understanding of incarceration, and that we must expand what has come to be called 'incarceration.' The chapters in this book examine a host of sites, such as prisons, institutions for people with developmental disabilities, psychiatric hospitals, treatment centers, special education, detention centers, and group homes; explore why various sites should be understood as incarceration; and discuss the causes and effects of these sites historically and currently. This volume includes a preface by Professor Angela Y. Davis and an afterword by Professor Robert McRuer.
A glimpse into the struggle of the disabled for identity and society's perception of the disabled traces the disabled's fight for rights from the antebellum era to present controversies over access.