Understanding Disability Policies

Understanding Disability Policies provides a comprehensive analysis of the development and consequences of disability policies in Britain from Victorian times to the present day. Written in clear and jargon-free English, it is essential reading for students and practitioners in disability studies, sociology, social policy, public administration, health and the voluntary sector. There are three main sections. First, policies drawn from medical definitions of disability (which have led to the social exclusion of disabled people), are contrasted with a newer 'social model' of disability, which explains the disadvantages faced by disabled people not in terms of their physical or mental impairment, but as resulting from social and environmental barriers. The second part of the volume evaluates British policies within an international context. In particular, comparisons are made with the civil rights approach adopted in America and Australia, and the welfare-orientated stance of countries like Sweden. Finally, the book traces the impacts of policy on disabled people according to their class, gender, age and ethnicity. The book ends with an assessment of the disability movement and the campaign by disabled people for the introduction of anti-discrimination legislation.