Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practice

Description

In this absorbing text by a leading writer and respected activist, theory, policy, historical background and personal experience are combined to give readers a rich and illuminating picture of the key issues raised by disability. In the author's uniquely clear and lively narrative style, the book explores: - The practical and political challenges that disablement presents - Theoretical understandings of disability - Disability law and the realities of policy implementation - Key points of contention for the disability movement This long-awaited new edition of a best-selling text includes new stories from the author's experience, as well as sharply framed debate about the development of policy over the last decade and a half. Its expansive coverage includes discussion of welfare, rehabilitation, special education and normalization. This book is core reading for students of social work, nursing, health and applied social science taking modules in disability studies. Michael Oliver was the first Professor of Disability Studies in the United Kingdom and is Emeritus Professor of Disability Studies at the University of Greenwich, UK. He is the author of the path-breaking The Politics of Disablement and Social Work with Disabled People (in its third edition, co-authored with Bob Sapey). Cover Half Title Title Copyright Dedication Contents List of Figures andTables Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Section 1 Experiencing and Challenging a DisablingWorld Introduction 1 From Personal Struggle to Political Understanding and Back Again 2 Mobility Impairment in a Social Context 3 The Social Model: History, Critique and Response 4 Unmet Promises of Disability Law and Policy (with Beth Omansky) 5 Special Education into theTwenty-first Century Section 2 Theorizing and Changing a DisablingWorld 6 Disability and Normalization:A Critique 7 The Relevance of Emancipatory Research for Policy Development 8 Disabling or EnablingWelfare: What Next for Disabled People? (with Colin Barnes) 9 Disability Politics and the Disabled People’s Movement in Britain (with Vic Finkelstein) 10 Disablement into theTwenty-first Century 11 Personalizing the Political and Politicizing the Personal Bibliography Index