Disabled Rights: American Disability Policy and the Fight for Equality(Disabled Rights)

"Freedom and Justice for all" is a phrase that can have a hollow ring for many members of the disability community in the United States. Jacqueline Vaughn Switzer gives us a comprehensive introduction to and overview of U.S. disability policy in all facets of society, including education, the workplace, and social integration. Disabled Rights provides an interdisciplinary approach to the history and politics of the disability rights movement and assesses the creation and implementation, successes and failures of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by federal, state and local governments. Disabled Rights explains how people with disabilities have been treated from a social, legal, and political perspective in the United States. With an objective and straightforward approach, Switzer identifies the programs and laws that have been enacted in the past fifty years and how they have affected the lives of people with disabilities. She raises questions about Congressional intent in passing the ADA, the evolution and fragmentation of the disability rights movement, and the current status of disabled people in the U.S. Illustrating the shift of disability issues from a medical focus to civil rights, the author clearly defines the contemporary role of persons with disabilities in American culture, and comprehensively outlines the public and private programs designed to integrate disabled persons into society. She covers the law's provisions as they apply to private organizations and businesses and concludes with the most up-to-date coverage of recent Supreme Court decisions-especially since the 2000-2002 terms-that have profoundly influenced the implementation of the ADA and other disability policies. For activists as well as scholars, students, and practitioners in public policy and public administration, Switzer has written a compassionate, yet powerful book that demands attention from everyone interested in the battle for disability rights and equality in the United States.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments IntroductionDemographics of DisabilityUnderstanding Disability PolicyA Word about Language Chapter 1: Disabled Policymaking/Disabled PolicyThe Paradigm ShiftOverview of the Policymaking ProcessKey Stakeholders Chapter 2: History of Segragation and Stereotypes"The Problem of Feeblemindedness"Assistance and TreatmentThe Stereotypes Continue Chapter 3: Compensation and RehabilitationHistorical Basis of CompensationIndustrial-Related DisabilitiesSocial SecurityThe Disability Insurance CrisisVocational Education1973 Rehabilitation ActEducation for Disabled ChildrenDisability as a Business/Rehabilitation as an IndustryTicket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 Chapter 4: Social and Political ActivismDisability Rights as a Social MovementDisability Interest GroupsBerkeley and the Independent Living Movement"The Splintered Universe"Coalition Building and Cross-Disability ActivismDemonstrations and ProtestsLitigation Chapter 5: The ADA and the Vision of EqualityDeveloping a Naitonal Policy: Early InitiativesOpening the Policy WindowPolicy EnvironmentLegislative Building BlocksUnited We StandFriends in High PlacesLegislative ProcessStealth CampaignOpposition Forces Chapter 6: The ADA as PolicyProvisions of the LawImplementation and RulemakingEnforcementLitigationKey Litigation IssuesFusion of Positive and Negative Rights Chapter 7: Life beyond the ADA: Policy Hot ButtonsReproductive Rights and TechnologyNot Dead YetJerry's Kids and TelethonsChristopher Reeve and the Myht of the SupercripDeaf Culture and Cochlear ImplantsThe Intergration MandateViolence against People with DisabilitiesInvisible Disabilities Chapter 8: Status Report on EqualityAttitudes and Public OpinionEmploymentSocial IntegrationBarriers to IndependenceTransportationHealth CareHousingOverall Analysis Epilogue AppendicesAppendix A: Suggestions for Further ReadingAppendix B: Selected Disability Periodicals and MediaAppendix C: Annotated Guide to Nongovernmental Disability OrganizationsAppendix D: Chronology of Important Events in the History and Development of American Disability Policy Notes Index

About the Author :
Jacqueline Vaughn Switzer is an associate professor of political science at Northern Arizona University. Jacqueline Vaughn Switzer is an associate professor of political science at Northern Arizona University.