DISABILITIES
2011
Valerie Leiter, Simmons College*
Jeremy L. Brunson, Gallaudet University**
The Disabilities division is devoted to the critical study of disability in society. Our concerns are wide-ranging, and include:
- The recognition that disability is a social determinant of life opportunities and of health. Disability shapes individuals’ lives, just like more widely recognized determinants, such as gender, race, ethnicity, and class.
- Members of the division are interested in how disability intersects with other social characteristics, including but not limited to, gender, race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation, and immigration status.
- Our examination of disability as a social characteristic is grounded in social models of the phenomenon, which address segregation, institutional barriers, and discrimination. Although we do not ignore the body in our work, the primary focus is on how societies treat individuals with disabilities and the consequences of that treatment.
Given these concerns, our vision of a just world is one where individuals are able to live to their highest potential, regardless of disability. Institutions, social structures, and policies would be constructed in ways that facilitate, not impede, individual development and opportunities. Our work focuses on understanding the experience of having a disability, and the ways in which social contexts influence the opportunities that individuals have in their lives.
One key difficulty that we face is societal perpetuation of negative attitudes about disability. Terms such as “retard” are used as the punch line in popular culture, children with disabilities are more likely to experience bullying, and adults experience discrimination in employment. Disability policies, such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, have increased access and inclusion in our society, resulting in shifts in opportunities and opinions. But not all problems can be legislated away.
Much of the impetus for broader change has occurred through the federal government, much of it due to the work of the disability rights movement. Yet sometimes the federal government has taken on disability initiatives independently of activist pressure. Currently, the Social Security Administration is testing multiple Youth Transition Demonstration Projects, which focus on the transition to adulthood among youth who are receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. These projects will address a wide range of issues, including health, educational and employment outcomes, social integration, service needs, and access to supports, with the goal of improving outcomes and lessening youth’s chances of living in poverty throughout adulthood. These demonstration projects are being run and evaluated now, so it is too soon to tell how effective they will be. But the emphasis on shifting the life trajectories among youth and young adults is the kind of intervention that is needed.
Disability policies, the role of sign language interpreters, men’s experiences of physical disabilities, mental health activism, the role of popular culture in shaping the lives of people with disabilities, wheelchair basketball, and definitions of disabilities are just some of the topics of investigations taken up by our members.
Those who are new to the field may find the following sources helpful:
Albrecht, Gary L., Katherine D. Seelman, and Michael Bury. 2001. Handbook of Disability Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Barnes, Colin, Geof Mercer, and Tom Shakespeare. 1999. Exploring Disability: A Sociological Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers Inc.
Carey, Allison C. 2010. On the Margins of Citizenship: Intellectual Disability and Civil Rights in Twentieth-Century America. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Groce, Nora Ellen. 1985. Everyone Here Spoke Sign Language: Hereditary Deafness on Martha's Vineyard. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Oliver, Michael. 1990. The Politics of Disablement. New York: Macmillan.
Priestley, Mark. 2001. Disability and the Life Course: Global Perspectives. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Scotch, Richard K. 2001. (2nd edition). From Good Will to Civil Rights: Transforming Federal Disability Policy. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Joseph Shapiro. 1993. No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement. New York: Times Books.
Stone, Deborah A. 1984. The Disabled State. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Zola, Irving Kenneth. 1982. Missing Pieces: A Chronicle of Living with a Disability. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
* Disabilities Division Co-Chair (2009-2011)
** Disabilities Division Co-Chair (2010-2012)
