Disability in American Life: An Encyclopedia of Concepts, Policies, and Controversies [2 Volumes]

Brief Description:

Disability--as with other marginalized topics in social policy--is at risk for exclusion from social debate. This multivolume reference work provides an overview of challenges and opportunities for people with disabilities and their families at all stages of life.
Once primarily thought of as a medical issue, disability is now more widely recognized as a critical issue of identity, personhood, and social justice. By discussing challenges confronting people with disabilities and their families and by collecting numerous accounts of disability experiences, this volume firmly situates disability within broader social movements, policy, and areas of marginalization, providing a critical examination into the lived experiences of people with disabilities and how disability can affect identity.

A foundational introduction to disability for a wide audience--from those intimately connected with a person with a disability to those interested in the science behind disability--this collection covers all aspects of disability critical to understanding disability in the United States. Topics covered include characteristics of disability; disability concepts, models, and theories; important historical developments and milestones for people with disabilities; prominent individuals, organizations, and agencies; notable policies and services; and intersections of disability policy with other policy.

• Takes an interdisciplinary approach to studying disability in America
• Traces the evolution of U.S. attitudes and policies towards disability through primary documents featuring context-setting headnotes
• Provides easy reference via a glossary of terms related to disability studies, including those in the areas of law, health, arts, and culture
• Includes contributions from major scholars across disciplines involved in the study of disability

Tamar Heller is distinguished professor and head of the Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Sarah Parker Harris is associate professor and director of graduate and undergraduate studies at the Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Carol J. Gill is professor emeritus at the Department of Disability and Human Development (DHD) at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).

Robert Gould, PhD, is Director of Research for the Great Lakes ADA Center (in DHD, UIC).

"The entries are comprehensive, relevant, and definitive, as each is written by an authoritative source on the subject and in a style accessible to not only disability professionals, college students, and faculty but also high school students and lay readers...Summing Up: Recommended. All readers."

Choice

"Filling a need for historical and cultural information on an understudied subject, this title highlights the economic and political power of people with disabilities and should be an essential resource."

Library Journal

Review Citations:

• Library Journal 06/01/2019 pg. 148 (EAN 9781440834226, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
• Choice 07/01/2019 (EAN 9781440834226, Hardcover)