The major theme of this book is that disability results from the structural and social organization of society which presents disabled people with numerous social, structural and economic barriers which deny them the opportunity for full citizenship and equal opportunities. The notion that disability is a medical condition or a "personal tragedy" is strongly challenged. The book explains the many ways in which disabled people have taken the initiative in shaping the meaning of disability and the services and support provided. Alternative modles and definitions of disability are given, concepts such as "independence" and "normality" are subject to critical appraisal, and alternative images of disability are presented. Papers which analyze the marginalized position of black disabled people and the situation of disabled women are also included. A major theme of the book is the analysis of barriers which disabled people encounter in terms of education, housing, leisure and employment. Professional practice is also subjected to critical analysis and alternative models of support which give disabled people control over their lives, are described.
Discrimination, anti-discrimination legislation, citizenship and the development and achievements of the growing Disability Movement are all examined.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
PART ONE: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE EDITORS
The Commonality of Disability - Vic Finkelstein
Disability, Impairment or Something in Between? - Sally French
Towards a Psychology of Disability - Vic Finkelstein and Sally French
Disability - Vic Finkelstein
A Social Challenge or an Administrative Responsibility?
What′s So Great About Independence? - Sally French
Disability and Dependency - Mike Oliver
A Creation of Industrial Societies?
Re-Defining Disability - Mike Oliver
A Challenge to Research
PART TWO: IN OUR OWN IMAGE
`Can You See the Rainbow?′ The Roots of Denial - Sally French
Acquired Hearing Loss - Maggie Woolley
Acquired Oppression
Gender and Disability - Jenny Morris
Double Oppression - Ossie Stuart
An Appropriate Starting-Point?
Prejudice - Jenny Morris
Disabled People and `Normality′ - Paul Abberley
The Tragedy Principle - David Hevey
Strategies for Change in the Representation of Disabled People
Broken Arts and Cultural Repair - Elspeth Morrison and Vic Finkelstein
The Role of Culture in the Empowerment of Disabled People
PART THREE: CONTROLLING LIFESTYLES
Striving for Independence - Liz Briggs
Housing, Independent Living and Physically Disabled People - Jenny Morris
Integration and Deaf People - Mairian Corker
The Policy and Power of Enabling Environments
Taught Helplessness? Or a Say for Disabled Students in Schools - John Swain
Conductive Education - Mike Oliver
If It Wasn′t so Sad it Would be Funny
Conductive Education - Virginia Beardshaw
A Rejoinder
Participation and Control in Day Centres for Young Disabled People Aged 16 to 30 Years - Colin Barnes
From Startrac to Leisure Choice - Marisa Lawton
The First Slow Steps Towards Change
The Dual Experience of Ageing with a Disability - Gerry Zarb
PART FOUR: IN CHARGE OF SUPPORT AND HELP
The Crafting of Good Clients - Ken Davis
Experiences of Disabled Health and Caring Professionals - Sally French
Medical Responsibilities to Disabled People - John Harrison
A Social Model in a Medical World - Louise Silburn
The Development of the Integrated Living Team as Part of the Strategy for Younger Physically Disabled People in North Derbyshire
Setting a Record Straight - Sally French
Do Disabled People Need Counselling? - Joy Lenny
Access to New Technology in the Employment of Disabled People - Alan Roulstone
A Four-Way Stretch? The Politics of Disability and Caring - Gillian Parker
PART FIVE: CREATING A SOCIETY FIT FOR ALL
`Talking to Top People′ - Jan Walmsley
Some Issues Relating to the Citizenship of People with Learning Difficulties
Discrimination, Disability and Welfare - Mike Oliver and Colin Barnes
From Needs to Rights
Developments in the Disabled People′s Movement - Frances Hasler
On the Movement - Ken Davis
About the Author :
John Swain is Professor of Disability and Inclusion at Northumbria University. Sally French is an associate lecturer at the Open University.
Review :
`This book is about change; change brought about, mainly by disabled people, in the way disability is conceptualised within our society... its structure reflects its content and message. It does not categorise people or specific disabilities, but focuses on their experiences of social barriers to `full participative citizenship′. The book, edited and written in part by people with disabilities... provides a positive framework within which to articulate many of my own findings... a major contribution to understanding disability... I found both the way this book is written and its content to be stimulating, exciting and challenging, with implications not just for how we think about disability but also for constructions of health and illness′ - Health Psychology Update
`A welcome explicitness about the social model of disability, the nature of the barriers we encounter, the importance of definitions of disability, and the fact that control by disabled people is crucial′ - Community Care
`This book gives an insider′s perspective of disability which should make workers in this field review their approach and question existing procedures and attitudes. It is thought provoking and relevant in these times of patient/client choice.... Anyone within the caring professions can benefit from reading this book. It is presented clearly, is comprehensive and meaty in its content, with a refreshing lack of jargon. It is a book primarily aimed at students but one to be borrowed and digested by occupational therapists at all levels and in any field′ - British Journal of Occupational Therapy
`At the risk of sounding like a scratched record, I am constantly delighted by the quality of the Open University′s set books. This course Reader for ′The Disabling Society′ is a magnificently challenging and readable collection of papers from some of the most stellar writers and thinkers in what I am reluctant to call the ′disability movement′. Mike Oliver can undercut people′s cherished notions of ′disabled clients′ and ′helping professionals′ like few other writers, while Sally French′s and Vic Finkelstein′s contributions offer brilliant insights into people′s everyday struggles and experiences of disability.
Among the 35 contributions it is hard to fault any and even harder to select highlights. When I think of the ways in which ′disability′ is traditionally taught in our schools of nursing - that is, as some kind of apolitical human tragedy or physiological malfunction - I could get down on both knees and plead with nurses to read this book instead′ - Nursing Times
`An explicit and detailed breakdown, from the perspective of participants, of why disabled people are engaged in a revolution - a revolution to break down barriers of attitude and the environment.... For students, researchers, policy-makers and disabled activists there had been a real need for a compendium of thought and ideas such as this.... I am sure it will have a place of honour in the increasing list of disability literature′ - Journal of Social Policy
`It should be read by those interested in disability as well as those wishing a more complete perspective on issues relating to minority groups and to discrimination′ - Contemporary Sociology
`It contains essays on a range of disability subjects and is therefore an excellent reference book′ - Equality Street
