Over the past twenty years, groups of therapists, researchers and engineers have seized the potential of virtual reality (VR) and its associated technologies to work together on designing and testing a great variety of rehabilitation devices and systems with the objective of improving the support for people with disabilities. Virtual reality technologies offer new paradigms for human exploration, understanding and support by providing participants a safe setting in which they can interact and develop goal-oriented activities within functional-virtual environments, especially when they find themselves in situations of cognitive, behavioural or motor disabilities. The solutions built from these technologies reduce patients' limitations of activity and participation by promoting the recovery of capabilities. The current diversification of VR technology can also lead to tools used at home so that the patient can pursue the training that was initiated with the therapist in the care centre. In this book you will find research on the rehabilitation in motor, cognitive and sensorial disorders.

Intellectual disability is characterised by deficits in cognitive and adaptive abilities that initially manifest before 18 years of age. The prevalence of intellectual disability is estimated to be between 1 and 3 out of every 100 individuals in the general population. Most individuals have mild intellectual disability and the cause is generally not identified. A small percentage of individuals have severe deficits and will need lifetime supports. The diagnosis of intellectual disability requires formal psychometric testing to assess the intelligence quotient and adaptive functioning. The management of individuals who have intellectual disability is based on providing general medical care, treatment of specific behavioral symptoms, early intervention, special education, and variable degrees of community based supports. In this book we present some current issues in intellectual and developmental disability.

Policymakers and program operators have long worked to understand how state and federal programs can best serve low-income families in which one parent or more has a disability. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, administered by the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), serves low-income families, some of whom include individuals who have disabilities or other work limitations. The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), serves low-income individuals who are aged, blind, or disabled. Though these two programs have overlapping goals of supporting low-income people with disabilities, while encouraging self-sufficiency and employment, they have key differences in approach, structure, and definitions that pose challenges to coordination. This book describes how TANF agencies work with participants who have a disability and how they interact with local SSA offices; presents findings from analyses of merged TANF and SSI data, documenting the extent to which adult TANF recipients are connected with the SSI system and how they contribute to the overall dynamics of caseload changes in SSI; and describes the implementation and findings of three promising pilot interventions.

Supporting Change in Autism Services explores the theoretical and practical dimensions of improving service provision for children, young people and adults with autism. The core aim of the book is to identify and critically examine some of the key factors that either facilitate or inhibit the implementation of good autism practice at both practitioner level and workplace level. It shows practitioners and students how to successfully translate autism theory into practice across service contexts and showcases a range of practitioner case studies throughout the text in order to illustrate effective implementation. Topics explored include: controversies and ambiguities in autism policy, theory and discourse; understanding autism in an inclusive context; enabling participation; making sense of behaviour; autism and interprofessionalism; strategic planning for autism friendly services; bridging the implementation gap. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in improving services for people with autism in the education, social care, health and voluntary sectors.

States and localities have not invested adequate resources, planning, or training to meet architectural and physical access compliance standards required to increase participation and improve the experience of voters with disabilities. The book documents the experiences of voters with disabilities during the 2012 general election cycle and offers concrete policy and procedural recommendations to improve voter participation and accessibility for citizens with disabilities now and in future elections.

Outlining the key developments of the Disability Hate Crime policy agenda, Seamus Taylor brings together a unique consideration of the theoretical and practical questions at its heart. This book analyses the contributions of activists, politicians, policymakers and criminal justice system practitioners to policy development, and critiques both the under-recognition of disability prejudice fuelled by ableism and the challenge of vulnerability in addressing disability hostility. Concluding that a critically reflective approach on the part of policymakers and practitioners can lead to progress, the author gives clear policy recommendations to address current challenges in the criminal justice system.

Once upon a time, paediatrics was involved with infectious disease and acute disorders, but a new pattern of morbidity has emerged. Social difficulties, behavioural problems, developmental difficulties, disabilities and chronic disease have become main parts of the scope of paediatric practice. Among adults, multiple chronic disease is increasingly prevalent, whereas the prevalence of impairment and disability remain stable, but substantial and therefore, present day health professionals must be aware of disability and chronic disease. Just a few decades ago, children born with significant congenital anomalies or genetic and metabolic diseases perished at an early age and very few survived into their teens and even less into adulthood. Congenital heart disease, major errors in metabolism, cancer, cystic fibrosis and many other major diseases were fatal. Because of that, many physicians in adult primary care did not have the opportunity to see patients with these problems and thus were unable to learn how to care for them. With major advancements in medical knowledge, technology, imaging techniques, surgical skills and pharmaceutical products as well as prosthetic devices, many of these patients now live much longer lives and sometimes even close to the average life expectancy for the country, at least in the developed world. With that, a new medical care challenge has been created and we have to take a life span approach.

Since first being identified as a distinct psychiatric disorder in 1943, autism has been steeped in contestation and controversy. Present-day skirmishes over the potential causes of autism, how or even if it should be treated, and the place of Asperger's syndrome on the autism spectrum are the subjects of intense debate in the research community, in the media, and among those with autism and their families. Bringing together innovative work on autism by international scholars in the social sciences and humanities, Worlds of Autism boldly challenges the deficit narrative prevalent in both popular and scientific accounts of autism spectrum disorders, instead situating autism within an abilities framework that respects the complex personhood of individuals with autism. A major contribution to the emerging, interdisciplinary field of critical autism studies, this book is methodologically and conceptually broad. Its authors explore the philosophical questions raised by autism, such as how it complicates neurotypical understandings of personhood; grapple with the politics that inform autism research, treatment, and care; investigate the diagnosis of autism and the recognition of difference; and assess representations of autism and stories told by and about those with autism.From empathy, social circles, and Internet communities to biopolitics, genetics, and diagnoses, Worlds of Autism features a range of perspectives on autistic subjectivities and the politics of cognitive difference, confronting society's assumptions about those with autism and the characterization of autism as a disability. Contributors: Dana Lee Baker, Washington State U; Beatrice Bonniau, Paris Descartes U; Charlotte Brownlow, U of Southern Queensland, Australia; Kristin Bumiller, Amherst College; Brigitte Chamak, Paris Descartes U; Kristina Chew, Saint Peter's U, New Jersey; Patrick McDonagh, Concordia U, Montreal; Stuart Murray, U of Leeds; Majia Holmer Nadesan, Arizona State U; Christina Nicolaidis, Portland State U; Lindsay O'Dell, Open U, London; Francisco Ortega, State U of Rio de Janeiro; Mark Osteen, Loyola U, Maryland; Dawn Eddings Prince; Dora Raymaker; Sara Ryan, U of Oxford; Lila Walsh.

The senses are used within New Testament texts as instruments of knowledge and power and thus constitute important mediators of cultural knowledge and experience. Likewise, those instances where sensory faculty is perceived to be 'disabled' in some way also become key sites for ideological commentary and critique. However, often biblical scholarship, itself 'disabled' by eye-centric and textocentric 'norms', has read sensory-disabled characters as nothing more than inert sites of healing; their agency, including their alternative sensory modes of communication and resistance to oppression, remain largely unaddressed. In response, Louise J. Lawrence seeks to initiate a variety of interdisciplinary dialogues with disability studies and sensory anthropology in a quest to refigure characters with sensory disabilities featured in the gospels and provide alternative interpretations of their conditions and social interactions. In each instance the identity of those stigmatised as 'other' (according to particular physiological, social and cultural 'norms') are recovered by exploring ethnographic accounts which document the stories of those experiencing similar rejection on account of perceived sensory 'difference' in diverse cross-cultural settings. Through this process these 'disabled' characters are recast as individuals capable of employing certain strategies which destabilize the stigma imposed upon them and tactical performers who can subversively achieve their social goals.

The senses are used within New Testament texts as instruments of knowledge and power and thus constitute important mediators of cultural knowledge and experience. Likewise, those instances where sensory faculty is perceived to be 'disabled' in some way also become key sites for ideological commentary and critique. However, often biblical scholarship, itself 'disabled' by eye-centric and textocentric 'norms', has read sensory-disabled characters as nothing more than inert sites of healing; their agency, including their alternative sensory modes of communication and resistance to oppression, remain largely unaddressed. In response, Louise J. Lawrence seeks to initiate a variety of interdisciplinary dialogues with disability studies and sensory anthropology in a quest to refigure characters with sensory disabilities featured in the gospels and provide alternative interpretations of their conditions and social interactions. In each instance the identity of those stigmatised as 'other' (according to particular physiological, social and cultural 'norms') are recovered by exploring ethnographic accounts which document the stories of those experiencing similar rejection on account of perceived sensory 'difference' in diverse cross-cultural settings. Through this process these 'disabled' characters are recast as individuals capable of employing certain strategies which destabilize the stigma imposed upon them and tactical performers who can subversively achieve their social goals.

Most Americans-even those with significant disability-want to live in their homes and communities. Unpaid family members or friends often work as "informal" caregivers, helping those who need assistance- and many feel they have no option but to serve. In contrast, paid personal assistance services workers (PAS) provide a lifeline to those consumers with complex needs and limited social networks. However, there is a crisis looming in the increasing needs for paid PAS and the limited available PAS workforce. Making Their Days Happen explores disability, health, and civil rights, along with relevant federal and state labor policies related to personal assistance services. Lisa Iezzoni addresses the legal context of paid PAS as well as financing mechanisms for obtaining home-based personal assistance. She also draws upon interviews she conducted with paid PAS consumers and PAS workers to explore PAS experiences and their perspectives about their work. Offering recommendations for improving future experiences of PAS consumers and providers, Iezzoni emphasizes that people with disabilities want to be a part of society, and PAS workers who do this low-wage work find satisfaction in helping them achieve their goals.

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, enacted in 1974, is a needs-based program that provides cash benefits designed to ensure a minimum income to aged, blind, or disabled persons with limited income and assets. The SSI program is a means-tested program that does not have work or contribution requirements, but restricts benefits to those who meet asset and resource limitations. In July 2012, the SSI program had over 8.2 million participants, who received just under $4.6 billion in benefits. In FY2011, the total net cost of the SSI program was $52.9 billion, including $49.0 billion in federal benefit payments. Funding for the SSI program is provided by Congress in the annual Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies appropriations bill. This book provides select analysis of current benefits of the program, with a focus on income/resource limits and accounts exempt from benefit determinations; and better management oversight needed for children's benefits.

The authors of this book present current research in the study of the performance, impact on life quality and assistance in the activities of daily living. Topics discussed include health status and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; daily mobility of the elderly in Spain; functional upper limb evaluation of activities of daily living in people with neurological disorders; influences of activities of daily living dependency on family caregiver burden and the strategies of adaptation; intervention with modified constraint induced movement therapy in occupational therapy and influence on activities of daily living; impact of mobility equipment on performance and quality of life; severity of unilateral spatial neglect and activities of daily living at discharge; rehabilitation strategies for people with cognitive impairments; flow experience in daily living and health-related quality of life.

'Incredible insight with a transgressive, witty, spirit.' COURTNEY LOVE 'The most sensational read of 2022!' GEMMA COLLINS 'A breath of fresh air... I want so many people to read this!' TRAVIS ALABANZA 'Visionary' VIV ALBERTINE A STYLIST MUST-READ FOR 2022 Wellness is oppressive, self-love is a trap, hustling is a health risk and it's all the patriarchy's fault. Poor Little Sick Girls is THE book for femmes who are online and want more from activism and life. Ione Gamble never imagined that entering adulthood would mean being diagnosed with an incurable illness. Watching identity politics become social media fodder from the confines of her sickbed Ione began to pick apart our obsession with self-care, personal branding, productivity and #LivingYourBestLife. Using her experience with disability to cast a fresh gaze on the particularly peculiar cultural moment in which young women find themselves, Poor Little Sick Girls explores the pressures faced - as well as the power of existing as - a chronically ill, overweight, and unacceptable woman in our current era of empowerment. Founder of Polyester zine and a host of The Polyester Podcast, Ione has been named one of fifteen coolest young Londoners by The Evening Standard, and a 2019 New Debutante in Tatler Magazine. If you love Trick Mirror, Feminists Don't Wear Pink and Hood Feminism,you don't want to miss this book.

The largest sources of federal funding for elementary and secondary education are the Elementary and Secondary Act (ESEA), and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The ESEA provides funding and services for a broad population of students, including disadvantaged students, migrant students, neglected and delinquent students, and students with limited English proficiency. Approximately 6 million students with disabilities aged 6 through 21 attend elementary and secondary schools; however they are not afforded special services under the ESEA due to their disability status. Both the ESEA and IDEA aim to improve the educational outcomes for students with disabilities. The ways in which they do this sometimes differ, and when the laws are not fully or clearly aligned it can be difficult for educators to plan and execute an appropriate education for these students. This book highlights the federal issues and policies pertaining to the education of students with disabilities.

Title I of the Ticket to Work Program, administered by the Social Security Administration, is a program to enhance work incentives for Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income beneficiaries. The goal of the Ticket program is to reduce dependence on disability benefits and help Social Security disability beneficiaries enter or reenter the workforce. This book provides an overview of how the Ticket to Work program operates with a focus on the background and legislative history of how the program evolved and its various components and regulations.

Takes the recent wave of German autobiographical writing on illness and disability seriously as literature, demonstrating the value of a literary disability studies approach. In the German-speaking world there has been a new wave - intensifying since 2007 - of autobiographically inspired writing on illness and disability, death and dying. Nina Schmidt's book takes this writing seriously as literature,examining how the authors of such personal narratives come to write of their experiences between the poles of cliche and exceptionality. Identifying shortcomings in the approaches taken thus far to such texts, she makes suggestions as to how to better read their narratives from the stance of literary scholarship, then demonstrates the value of a literary disability studies approach to such writing with close readings of Charlotte Roche's Schossgebete(2011), Kathrin Schmidt's Du stirbst nicht (2009), Verena Stefan's Fremdschlafer (2007), and - in the final, comparative chapter - Christoph Schlingensief's So schoen wie hier kanns im Himmel gar nicht sein! Tagebuch einer Krebserkrankung (2009) and Wolfgang Herrndorf's blog-cum-book Arbeit und Struktur (2010-13). Schmidt shows that authors dealing with illness and disability do so with an awareness of their precarious subject position in the public eye, a position they negotiate creatively. Writing the liminal experience of serious illness along the borders of genre, moving between fictional and autobiographical modes, they carve out spaces from which they speak up and share their personal stories in the realm of literature, to political ends. Nina Schmidt is a postdoctoral researcher in the Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies at the Freie Universitat Berlin.

The legislation, No Child Left Behind, mandates that students with intellectual disabilities have access to core curriculum courses. This book investigates a comprehensive life skills program, Life Centered Career Education (LCCE), being integrated into the curriculum of high school students with intellectual disabilities. The LCCE program was utilised to educate students on Personal-Social Skills, Daily Life skills, and Occupational lessons with an academic emphasis.

This new book examines the issue of pain in individuals with intellectual disabilities by introducing the topic as well as suggesting a model for pain in this population. A couple of articles suggest different approaches to the complex subject of evaluation in this group of clients, and also in depth approaches to specific syndromes. In this yearbook for 2009, you will find research published from the Journal of Pain Management by leading researchers from all over the world, which produces sound and evidence-based research that can help mankind to suffer less and enjoy a good quality of life.

In an era of scarce social resources the question of the changing social policy constructions and responses to disabled people has become increasingly important. Paradoxically, some disabled people are realising new freedoms and choices never before envisioned, whilst others are prey to major retractions in public services and aggressive attempts to redefine who counts as 'genuinely disabled'. Understanding disability policy locates disability policy into broader social policy and welfare policy writings and goes beyond narrow statutory evaluations of welfare to embrace a range of indicators of disabled people's welfare. The book critically explores the roles of social security, social support, poverty, socio-economic status, community safety, official discourses and spatial change in shaping disabled people's opportunities. It also situates welfare and disability policy in the broader conceptual shifts to the social model of disability and its critics. Finally it explores the possible connection between changing official and academic constructions of disability and their implications for social policy in the 21st century. The book is supported by a companion website, containing additional materials for both students and lecturers using the book, which is available from the link above.

Conflicts are 'time-distributed social episodes' consisting of many discrete components that include issues, oppositions, resolutions and outcomes. We encounter conflicts everyday in our lives in different contexts and with different people about various different issues. Although all these levels of conflict play an important role in our lives, the focus of this book will be on interpersonal conflict that is more common in infancy, childhood and adolescence.

Although disability imagery is ubiquitous in the Hebrew Bible, characters with disabilities are not. The presence of the former does not guarantee the presence of the later. While interpreters explain away disabilities in specific characters, they celebrate the rhetorical contributions that disability imagery makes to the literary artistry of biblical prose and poetry, often as a trope to describe the suffering or struggles of a presumably nondisabled person or community. This situation contributes to the appearance (or illusion) of a Hebrew Bible that uses disability as a rich literary trope while disavowing the presence of figures or characters with disabilities.
Isaiah 53 provides a wonderful example of this dynamic at work. The "Suffering Servant" figure in Isaiah 53 has captured the imagination of readers since very early in the history of biblical interpretation. Most interpreters understand the servant as an otherwise able bodied person who suffers. By contrast, Jeremy Schipper's study shows that Isaiah 53 describes the servant with language and imagery typically associated with disability in the Hebrew Bible and other ancient Near Eastern literature. Informed by recent work in disability studies from across the humanities, it traces both the disappearance of the servant's disability from the interpretative history of Isaiah 53 and the scholarly creation of the able bodied suffering servant.

In Brilliant Imperfection Eli Clare uses memoir, history, and critical analysis to explore cure-the deeply held belief that body-minds considered broken need to be fixed. Cure serves many purposes. It saves lives, manipulates lives, and prioritizes some lives over others. It provides comfort, makes profits, justifies violence, and promises resolution to body-mind loss. Clare grapples with this knot of contradictions, maintaining that neither an anti-cure politics nor a pro-cure worldview can account for the messy, complex relationships we have with our body-minds. The stories he tells range widely, stretching from disability stereotypes to weight loss surgery, gender transition to skin lightening creams. At each turn, Clare weaves race, disability, sexuality, class, and gender together, insisting on the nonnegotiable value of body-mind difference. Into this mix, he adds environmental politics, thinking about ecosystem loss and restoration as a way of delving more deeply into cure. Ultimately Brilliant Imperfection reveals cure to be an ideology grounded in the twin notions of normal and natural, slippery and powerful, necessary and damaging all at the same time.

This book looks at the state of housing for people with disabilities with the intent to provide recommendations that can improve housing opportunities. The research contained in this book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of housing in the 21st century and answers important questions about the current housing needs and options for people with disabilities living in the United States. Affordable, accessible, and appropriate housing is critical and integral to making a community more liveable for people with disabilities.

Disability is an increasingly vital contemporary issue in British social policy especially in education. Education, disability and social policy brings together for the first time unique perspectives from leading thinkers including senior academics, opinion formers, policy makers and school leaders. Key issues covered include: law and international human rights frameworks; policy developments for schools and school leaders; educational inequalities for disabled children and young people and curriculum design and qualifications changes for children who are being failed by the current education system. The book is a milestone in social policy studies, of enduring interest to students, academics, policy makers, parents and campaigners alike.