The author offers a sweeping examination of disability identity, tracing its history and parsing the shifting forces that have shaped individual and societal understandings of ability and impairment across time. The author focuses on the relationship between societal views and the self-conceptions of people with mental and physical impairments. The author also illuminates the impact of the disability rights movement, life-course dynamics, and race and gender in creating a diversity of disability identities. Her seminal work reveals the remarkable resilience of individuals in the face of profound social and material barriers, at the same time that it enhances our understanding of the construction and experience of "difference" in our changing society.

This book provides students and practitioners with a theoretical and methodological foundation for implementing client- and family-centered 'partnership' approaches in human services. Unlike other texts in the field, the author integrates the principles and practices of sociology with applied work in the helping professions and shows how key sociological concepts can be used to explain the nature of clients' perspectives and expand client opportunities.

This book provides students and practitioners with a theoretical and methodological foundation for implementing client- and family-centered partnership' approaches in human services. Unlike other texts in the field, the author integrates the principles and practices of sociology with applied work in the helping professions and shows how key sociological concepts can be used to explain the nature of clients' perspectives and expand client opportunities.

This popular clinical reference and text provides a multisystems perspective on childhood disability and its effects on family life. The volume examines how child, family, ecological, and sociocultural variables intertwine to shape the ways families respond to disability, and how professionals can promote coping, adaptation, and empowerment. Accessible and engaging, the book integrates theory and research with vignettes and firsthand reflections from family members. New to This Edition:
*Incorporates advances in research and counseling approaches.*Updated resources.
*Chapter on the challenges and opportunities of adulthood.
*Expanded coverage of disability pride, family diversity, and the role of fathers.