Who determines whether persons are disabled and eligible to receive the billions of dollars that are awarded in benefits under federal disability programs today in the United States? What kinds of standards are applied in making awards to millions of applicants? And how are disability determinations made and claims adjudicated? Frank S. Bloch provides a careful study of disability determinations in five major federal programs. His findings, models, and calls for reform, including the greater use of medical personnel, should interest those who want to know more about the medical-legal issues relevant to disability determination, the many factors that impact on disability decisionmaking, and the administrative process for making disability decisions. This survey covers the disability determination process in U.S. social security, railroad retirement, civil service, veteran, and black lung disability programs at the federal level. Dr. Bloch defines various standards, key issues, the current use of medical personnel and models for their fuller use and for reforming the disability determination process.

Disability and the Victorians brings together in one collection a range of topics, perspectives and experiences from the Victorian era that present a unique overview of the development and impact of attitudes and interventions towards those with impairments during this time. The collection also considers how the legacies of these actions can be seen to have continued throughout the twentieth century right up to the present day. Subjects addressed include deafness, blindness, language delay, substance dependency, imperialism and the representation of disabled characters in popular fiction. These varied topics illustrate how common themes can be found in how Victorian philanthropists and administrators responded to those under their care. Often character, morality and the chance to be restored to productivity and usefulness overrode medical need and this both influenced and reflected wider societal views of impairment and inability. -- .

Now students, general readers, advocates, rehabilitation professionals, and others seeking to learn more about the history and progress of the disability rights movement can turn to a valuable new reference book, The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Disability Rights Movement. The book is designed as a general introduction to the many varied influences on the growth of this movement, including notable individuals, some of whom will be familiar to general readers, while others remain virtually unknown outside of the communities they have affected. Here, through fascinating biographical narratives, their contributions are highlighted. Nearly 500 alphabetically arranged entries explore landmark laws and court cases, prominent figures, historic events, issues, notable programs, key concepts, and centers of disability culture and education. With a detailed chronology, extensive cross-referencing, illustrations, and a subject index, this volume is an exceptionally useful reference for anyone seeking to better understand the people and events shaping the American disability rights movement.

Disability is an increasingly vital contemporary issue in British social policy and particularly so in the area of 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 to explore these issues. Key issues included are: the implications of the law and international human rights frameworks; what these developments in policy will mean for schools and school leaders; how Governments can ensure that disabled children and young people are benefiting from wider efforts to tackle inequalities in the education system, such as widening access to higher education; what changes are needed in the design of the curriculum and qualifications; and, what needs to be done for children who are being failed by the current education system, including those with uncertain futures or children with Autism. The book is a milestone in social policy studies, of enduring interest to students, academics, policy makers, parents and campaigners alike.

The study of disability and its clinical treatment has become exponentially more complex as ever more interventions are developed that increase the life span. Consequently, developmental challenges facing people with disabilities and their families change throughout a lifetime.Unlike other texts, which concentrate only on the childhood years, "Disability and the Family Life Cycle" covers the entire life span within the family context, emphasizing maturational issues, with each chapter focusing on a different period of life. "Disability and the Family Life Cycle" is the only book to cover such topics as adult sons and daughters with disabilities, the developmental needs of the disabled elderly, and the needs of spouses and siblings.

This novel treats the two themes of incurable diseases and euthanasia at various levels to bring into focus a web of dense arguments legal and medical woven together that never tire the readers in their attempts to grapple with issues of human suffering, disease and death and its over-arching subject of sympathy, pity and humanity. To lend credence to all the impressive arguments, the novel draws parallels from real life situations and cases that made possible a debate on physician-assisted suicides and importance of human dignity and right to life and death.

View the Table of Contents. Read the Introduction.

"The writings of Rubin, Mukhopadhyay, and all of the contributors are testament to the need to embrace a 'disability consciousness' in seeking educational and therapeutic options for autistic persons so that they can achieve their full potential. While Biklen refrains from extensive analysis of his contributors' words, his book is truly valuable in its straightforward presentation of the voices of autistic persons speaking not only for but as themselves."
--"Disability Studies Quarterly"

"Disagrees with the common picture of autism, presenting chapters written by those with autism themselves--including those considered most severely disabled within the world of autism--to present a personalized view of how autism is experienced by those diagnosed. . . . A 'must' for any who understand the autistic experience."
--"Bookwatch"

"Biklen's tenacity is to be admired."
--"CHOICE"

aThe prevailing view of autism and disability is redefined in this beautifully written book. Can you ask for more than to inform, inspire, challenge, and help to create new ways of understanding? "Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone" forces us to confront misunderstanding, misperceptions, and lack of knowledge, and to rethink disability and autism. It demands that we embrace people who act, communicate, and socialize differently. I love this book!a
--Jan Nisbet, Director, Institute on Disability

aAustism and the Myth of the Person Alone is one of those rare professional books that causes one to pause and consider what it tells us about our literature, our field, and, perhaps, ourselves...Biklen has given us a fascinating, thoughtful and, most important, essential book by including insights, experiences, and perspectives of individuals with autism to add to the canon.a
--"American Association on Mental Retardation"

Autism has been defined by experts as a developmental disorder affecting social and communication skills as well as verbal and nonverbal communication. It is said to occur in as many as 2 to 6 in 1,000 individuals. This book challenges the prevailing, tragic narrative of impairment that so often characterizes discussions about autism.

Autism and the Myth of the Person Alone seriously engages the perspectives of people with autism, including those who have been considered as the most severely disabled within the autism spectrum. The heart of the book consists of chapters by people with autism themselves, either in an interview format with the author or written by themselves. Each author communicates either by typing or by a combination of speech and typing. These chapters are framed by a substantive introduction and conclusion that contextualize the book, the methodology, and the analysis, and situate it within a critical disability studies framework. The volume allows a look into the rich and insightful perspectives of people who have heretofore been thought of as uninterested in the world.

In this accessible introduction to the study of Disability Arts and Culture, Petra Kuppers foregrounds themes, artists and theoretical concepts in this diverse field. Complete with case studies, exercises and questions for further study, the book introduces students to the work of disabled artists and their allies, and explores artful responses to living with physical, cognitive, emotional or sensory difference. Engaging readers as cultural producers, Kuppers provides useful frameworks for critical analysis and encourages students to explore their own positioning within the frames of gender, race, sexuality, class and disability. Comprehensive and accessible, this is an essential handbook for undergraduate students or anyone interested in disabled bodies and minds in theatre, performance, creative writing, art and dance.

The first volume presents a collection of exciting papers exploring several new areas of disability research. The contributions include: examination of the media representation of disability and coverage of disability policy issues which gives an understanding of the far reaching impact of the fourth estate; an historical analysis of the correspondence between the identifier of Down syndrome and Darwin that lends insights into the development of interpretations of mental retardation particularly Down syndrome as a throwback to the more primitive nature of man; analysis of hospital discharge data which demonstrates that persons with chronic conditions and impairments are more likely than those without to need hospitalization for injuries resulting from violence; and an overview of voting behavior among persons with disabilities. Subsequent volumes will focus on specific subjects related to disability issues.

'...this book makes a cogent yet impassioned argument that the discourse of care and caring is inappropriate...It deserves to be widely read, discussed and acted upon.' - Journal of Gender Studies;'The author...has produced a piece of research that not only needs to be read and acted upon by as many people as possible, but which is written in a style that is digestible and enjoyable to read.' - Jim Thomas, Nursing Times;'This is the clearest, most compelling book on what disabled people want from 'community care' that I have ever read,...it is destined to become one of the most influential pieces of writing in this area.' - S. Baldwin, Director, Social Policy Research Unit, York 'This is an important study which examines independent living both as the expressed wish of disabled people and as a central objective of Government policy...Let's hope all those involved in community care don't just read it but make sure it changes their provision and practice.' - Michael Oliver, Professor of Disability Studies, University of Greenwich 'This is quite simply a marvellous text. It will boost the morale of disabled people, and widen the thinking of non-disabled policy-makers and professional

This timely book is about raising awareness of the rights of disabled people to full equality and participation in all areas. It aims to show that disability is an issue of concern to all of us. It is for university faculty staff teaching courses on education law and policy and serves as a resource for students conducting research, government officials, and professionals in these fields.

Disability and Inequality:Socioeconomic Imperatives and Public Policy in Jamaica explores the lived experiences of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Jamaica, examining measurable socioeconomic deficits that establish PWDs are more likely to experience inferior education, training, and labor market outcomes compared to persons without disabilities. The author provides an evidence-based, theoretically grounded, and implementable public policy framework, called Framework of Key Determinants for Political and Socioeconomic Inclusion of PWDs, which advances anti-discrimination legislation and a twin-track policy schema with interconnected enablers of human rights. Using this framework, Jamaica, the Caribbean, and other Southern countries looking for methods and strategies to fulfill commitments set out by the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will find approaches to sustain existing progress, and address structural systemic deficits which continue to deny PWDs long-term sustainable development.

This collection reflects on the development of disability studies in German-speaking Europe and brings together interdisciplinary perspectives on disability in German, Austrian, and Swiss history and culture. Ableism remains the most socially acceptable form of intolerance, with pejoratives referencing disability - and intellectual disability in particular - remaining largely unquestioned among many. Yet the understanding, depiction, and representation of disability is also clearly in a process of transformation. This volume analyzes that transformation, taking a close look at attitudes toward disability in historical and contemporary German-speaking contexts. The volume begins with an overview of the emergence and growth of disability studies in German-speaking Europe against the background of the field's emergence a decade or so earlier in the US and UK. The differences in timing, methodology, and research concentrations bring into focus how each cultural context has shaped the field of disability studies in its multiple and diverse approaches. Building on recent scholarship that uses a cultural studies approach, the volume's three sections analyze constructs of disability and ability in history, memory, and culture. The essays in the history section examine how the emotions, morality, and power have played into - and still do play into - the individual's experience of disability. Those in the memory section grapple with the origins of the Nazi persecution of people with disabilities, the fight for recognition of this genocide, and the politics of its commemoration. Finally, the culture section offers close readings of disability in literary and filmic texts from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Parenting is always a vital and challenging task. Even more vital and challenging is the task of parenting a child with a disability. When there is more than one child in the family, all parents want to share their time, energy, and love with all their children--and all siblings sometimes wonder if they are being treated fairly. When one child in a family has a disability, all this becomes more complex. Parents and sisters and brothers often feel that for them, It isn't fair.

Selected and compiled from two decades of The Exceptional Parent magazine, "It Isn't Fair " reveals first-hand the myriad feelings of normal brothers and sisters at all stages as they grapple with caretaking, frustration, powerlessness, jealousy, guilt, and worry about their special siblings. Breaking the wall of silence that deference has imposed on their experiences, here are the siblings of the child with autism, the child injured at birth, the child institutionalized after many years at home. Parents offer their own experiences and perspectives on their children, and they illustrate the importance of sharing information within the family. The editors also include professional commentary.

What can society learn about disability through the way it is portrayed in TV, films and plays?

This insightful and accessible text explores and analyses the way disability is portrayed in drama, and how that portrayal may be interpreted by young audiences. Investigating how disabilities have been represented on stage in the past, this book discusses what may be inferred from plays which feature disabled characters through a variety of critical approaches.

In addition to the theoretical analysis of disability in dramatic literature, the book includes two previously unpublished playscripts, both of which have been performed by secondary school aged students and which focus on issues of disability and its effects on others. The contextual notes and discussion which accompany these plays and projects provide insights into how drama can contribute to disability education, and how it can give a voice to students who have special educational needs themselves.

Other features of this wide-ranging text include:

• an annotated chronology that traces the history of plays that have featured disabled characters
• an analysis of how disability is used as a dramatic metaphor
• consideration of the ethics of dramatising a disabled character
• critical accounts of units of work in mainstream school seeking to raise disability awareness through engagement with practical drama and dramatic texts
• a description and evaluation of a drama project in a special school.

In tackling questions and issues that have not, hitherto, been well covered, Drama, Disability and Education will be of enormous interest to drama students, teachers, researchers and pedagogues who work with disabled people or are concerned with raising awareness and understanding of disability.

This collection brings together scholarship and creative writing that brings together two of the most innovative fields to emerge from critical and cultural studies in the past few decades: Disability studies and performance studies. It draws on writings about such media as live performance art, photography, silent film, dance, personal narrative and theatre, using such diverse perspectives and methods as queer theory, gender, feminist, and masculinity studies, dance studies, as well as providing first publication of creative writings by award-winning poets and playwrights. This book was based on a special issue of Text and Performance Quarterly.

This volume addresses a range of philosophical and ethical issues in adapted physical activity and disability sports participation more broadly. It is comprised of a range of essays by international scholars whose backgrounds embrace different traditions of philosophy, pedagogy and adapted physical activity. The principal aim of the symposium was to open up and critically explore a range of conceptual and ethical issues and perspectives that have arisen with respect to the engagement of persons with dis/abilities in a range of physical activity contexts including, but not exclusively located in, mainstream sporting activities. This book was published as a special issue in Sport, Ethics and Philosophy.

Disability Incarcerated gathers thirteen contributions from an impressive array of fields. Taken together, these essays assert that a complex understanding of disability is crucial to an understanding of incarceration, and that we must expand what has come to be called 'incarceration.' The chapters in this book examine a host of sites, such as prisons, institutions for people with developmental disabilities, psychiatric hospitals, treatment centers, special education, detention centers, and group homes; explore why various sites should be understood as incarceration; and discuss the causes and effects of these sites historically and currently. This volume includes a preface by Professor Angela Y. Davis and an afterword by Professor Robert McRuer.

From the critique of 'the medical model' of disability undertaken during the early and mid-1990s, a 'social model' emerged, particularly in the caring professions and those trying to shape policy and practice for people with disability. In education and schooling, it was a period of cementing inclusive practices and the 'integration' and inclusion of disability into 'mainstream'. What was lacking in the debates around the social model, however, were the challenges to abledness that were being grappled with in the routine and pragmatics of self-care by people with disabilities, their families, carers and caseworkers. Outside the academy, new forms of activity and new questions were circulating. Challenges to abledness flourished in the arts and constituted the lived experience of many disability activists. Disability Matters engages with the cultural politics of the body, exploring this fascinating and dynamic topic through the arts, teaching, research and varied encounters with 'disability' ranging from the very personal to the professional. Chapters in this collection are drawn from scholars responding in various registers and contexts to questions of disability, pedagogy, affect, sensation and education. Questions of embodiment, affect and disability are woven throughout these contributions, and the diverse ways in which these concepts appear emphasize both the utility of these ideas and the timeliness of their application. This book was originally published as a special issue of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.

This approachable study explores experiences of physical and mental impairment in Britain since the Industrial Revolution. Using literary, visual, and oral sources to complement documentary evidence, Anne Borsay pays particular attention to the testimonies of disabled people. Disability and Social Policy in Britain since 1750: - places disability policies within their historical context - examines citizenship and social exclusion from a historical perspective - sketches the key characteristics of modern industrial societies - focuses on the shifting mixed economy of welfare, the development of social rights and the construction of identity - assesses institutional living in workhouses, hospitals, asylums, and schools - appraises community living with reference to employment, financial relief and community care - reviews social policies post-1979 Borsay argues that disabled people were excluded from the full rights of citizenship because they were marginal to the labour market and suggests that history may play a role in raising personal and political consciousness. Containing illustrations, and clearly structured, this book is an ideal guide for all those with an interest in the history of disability and social policies.

Since the emergence of disability studies over the last several decades, disability theorists have often settled for sweeping generalizations about "biblical" notions of disability. Yet, academic or critical biblical scholarship has shown that many texts involving disability in the Bible is much more nuanced than a casual reading or isolated proof texting may indicate. A primary goal of this volume is to familiarize a wide audience, including advanced students, scholars, clergy, and interested lay readers, with research on disability and the Bible done by scholars who specialize in biblical studies.