Disability Studies is an area of study which examines social, political, cultural, and economic factors that define 'disability' and establish personal and collective responses to difference. This insightful new text will introduce readers to the discipline of Disability Studies and enable them to engage in the lively debates within the field. By offering an accessible yet rigorous approach to Disability Studies, the authors provide a critical analysis of key current issues and consider ways in which the subject can be studied through national and international perspectives, policies, culture and history. Key debates include: The relationship between activism and the academy Ways to study cultural and media representations of disability The importance of disability history and how societies can change National and international perspectives on children, childhood and education Political perspectives on disability and identity The place of the body in disability theory This text offers real-world examples of topics that are important to debates and offers a much needed truly international scope on the questions at hand. It is an essential read for any individual studying, practising or with an interest in Disability Studies.

There are millions of people who experience issues related to brain health--depression, attention issues, anxiety, forgetfulness, fatigue, and even chronic pain--yet can't figure out what's causing their problems and can't find any relief. They may have seen a myriad of doctors, many of whom do not take their complaints seriously, or worse, turn to the easy, often inappropriate fix of antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications. Traditional medications, supplements, or other therapies haven't worked. No matter what their age--from children to teens or seniors--people and their loved ones are frustrated, scared, and confused by their continued poor health. Countless others display severe psychiatric symptoms that seem to come out of nowhere, ranging from tics, obsessive-compulsive behaviors and anxiety, to depression, bipolar-like mood swings, and even borderline personality disorder and suicidal ideas. Sometimes, the people affected are the only ones that notices a change to the way they think or feel, and they suffer in silence. Or, they reach out to try to get help, and are all too frequently misdiagnosed. David Younger, a world-renowned physician, provides relief to these patients and their families. His diagnostic techniques and treatment protocols will help readers identify the true cause of their symptoms and put them on a clear path to healing so they no longer feel unbalanced, out of control, forgetful, and exhausted. The Autoimmune Brain connects common brain health symptoms to the changes in the immune system, and particularly bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. Younger explains his groundbreaking research and adds a new component: how traumatic stress (whether physical or emotional) and genetics affects this same triad as inextricable factors in initiating disease and brain health symptoms. In fact, a change in personality, behavior, coping style, and one's emotional state may be the first clue that there is a health problem brewing somewhere else in the body. Readers will find new answers to troubling conditions, including: Alzheimer's disease; Anxiety; Arthritis; Autism; Autonomic disturbances; Bacterial and viral infections; Bipolar Disorder; Cancer; Celiac disease and gluten intolerances; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (now referred to as Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease); Chronic Pain; Dementia; Depression; Endocrine Disorders; Immune modulatory therapy using IVIg; Lyme disease and co-infections; Mast cell activation syndrome; Medical cannabis; Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Orthostatic hypotension; Peripheral Neuropathy; Porphyria; Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; and Postural orthostatic tachycardia.

From public transportation and education to adequate access to buildings, the social impact of disability has been felt everywhere since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. And a remarkable groundswell of activism and critical literature has followed in this wake. Claiming Disability is the first comprehensive examination of Disability Studies as a field of inquiry. Disability Studies is not simply about the variations that exist in human behavior, appearance, functioning, sensory acuity, and cognitive processing but the meaning we make of those variations. With vivid imagery and numerous examples, Simi Linton explores the divisions society creates--the normal versus the pathological, the competent citizen versus the ward of the state. Map and manifesto, Claiming Disability overturns medicalized versions of disability and establishes disabled people and their allies as the rightful claimants to this territory.

In this ground-breaking new work, Dan Goodley makes the case for a novel, distinct, intellectual, and political project ¿ dis/ability studies ¿ an orientation that might encourage us to think again about the phenomena of disability and ability. Drawing on a range of interdisciplinary areas, including sociology, psychology, education, policy and cultural studies, this much needed text takes the most topical and important issues in critical disability theory, and pushes them into new theoretical territory. Goodley argues that we are entering a time of dis/ability studies, when both categories of disability and ability require expanding upon as a response to the global politics of neoliberal capitalism. Divided into two parts, the first section traces the dual processes of ableism and disablism, suggesting that one cannot exist without the other, and makes the case for a research-driven and intersectional analysis of dis/ability. The second section applies this new analytical framework to a range of critical topics, including: The biopolitics of dis/ability and debility Inclusive education Psychopathology Markets, communities and civil society. Dis/ability Studies provides much needed depth, texture and analysis in this emerging discipline. This accessible text will appeal to students and researchers of disability across a range of disciplines, as well as disability activists, policymakers, and practitioners working directly with disabled people.

The two volumes examine a fascinating set of memoirs and autobiographies written by a variety of authors. It includes famous persons such as Hellen Keller and Temple Grandin, as well as others likely unknown beyond the world of disability studies, such as John M. Hull (who relates his experience of going blind) and Kay Redfield (who relates her experience with bipolar disorder). Each of 200 entries examines a particular author and literary work (e.g., Christy Brown, My Left Foot). The entry provides biographical, historical, and literary context around the author/work and elucidates the role the text has played within disability memoir. The works selected bear most directly on disability studies proper but also provide rich topics of study for sociology and anthropology courses, minority and gender studies, and English literature studies. Additionally, this publication offers physicians, nurses, and teachers a unique tool in their professional developments to gain insights into the lives of those whom they serve. G. Thomas Couser (Founding Director of the Disability Studies Program, Hofstra University and a leading expert in disability memoir) has joined Susannah Mintz (Professor of English and Disability Studies, Chair of English Department, Skidmore College) to determine the contents and provide peer review on this work. A comprehensive, annotated list of disability memoir is included in an appendix.

Look Me in the Eye is the moving, darkly funny story of growing up with Aspergers at a time when the diagnosis simply didnt exist. A born storyteller, Robison takes readers inside the head of a boy who teachers and other adults regarded as defective. Its a strange, sly, indelible account; sometimes alien yet always deeply human.

FromA Matter of Dignity: I realized that I needed to learn about the legislative and legal aspects of disability as much as I did about our feelings regarding wholeness, beauty and ugliness, about the state called normalcy, about liberating technologies and therapies, about the role of the disabled in history and literature. And what could better inform and enlighten me than contact with people who help create access, who elicit change via care, support, teaching, and study as their life’s work? As it turned out, I have learned from them that, in spite of the American addiction to youthfulness, “normalcy,” virility, activity, and physical beauty, diversity in all its forms provides not only fascination but strength. Diversity tends toward higher forms, uniformity toward dullness and extinction. What could make more sense than to value all that is diverse, unexpected, and exuberantly impure? From the Hardcover edition.

Reconceptualizing Disability in Education provides an essential critical exploration of problematic discourses, practices, and pedagogies that inform how disability is presently understood and responded to within the field of education. Luigi Iannacci interrogates and destabilizes ableist grand narratives that dominate every aspect of how disability is linguistically, bureaucratically, procedurally, and pedagogically configured within education. Ultimately, this book seeks to forward human rights for people with disabilities in educational contexts by clarifying and operationalizing inclusion so that it is not just a model necessitated by a hierarchy of legality, but rather a set of beliefs and practices based on critical analyses and a reconceptualization of current understandings and responses to disability that prevent inclusion and human rights from being realized. As the book is grounded in reconceptualist theorizing, it draws on multiple perspectives--including critical disability theory, post-modernism, critical theory, critical pedagogy, and social constructivism--to deconstruct and destabilize what is currently taken for granted about disability and those ascribed disabled identities within education. A variety of personal, professional, research experiences and data are offered and drawn on to critically address questions regarding philosophical, epistemological, pedagogical, organizational, economic, and leadership issues as they relate to disability in education. Critical incidents, interviews, documents, and artifacts are drawn on and narratively presented to explore how disability is presently configured in language, identification, and placement processes, discourses, pedagogies, and interactions with students deemed disabled, as well as their parents/caregivers. This critical narrative approach fosters alternative ways of thinking, speaking, being, and doing that forward a human rights focused model of disability that sees as its mandate the amelioration of people with disabilities within education.

Navigating the Transition from High School to College for Students with Disabilities provides effective strategies for navigating the transition process from high school into college for students with a wide range of disabilities. As students with disabilities attend two and four-year colleges in increasing numbers and through expanding access opportunities, challenges remain in helping these students and their families prepare for and successfully transition into higher education. Professionals and families supporting transition activities are often unaware of today's new and rapidly developing options for postsecondary education. This practical guide offers user-friendly resources, including vignettes, research summaries, and hands-on activities that can be easily implemented in the classroom and in the community and that facilitate strong collaboration between schools and families. Preparation issues such as financial aid, applying for college, and other long-term planning areas are addressed in detail. An accompanying student resource section offers materials for high school students with disabilities that secondary educators, counselors, and transition personnel can use to facilitate exploration and planning discussions. Framing higher education as a possible transition goal for all students with disabilities, Navigating the Transition from High School to College for Students with Disabilities supports the postsecondary interests of more than four million public school students with disabilities.

This Handbook is an essential starting point for cross-national examinations, comparisons, and discussions about state-of-the-art practices in higher education accessibility and service delivery support for disabled students. Spanning a broad geographical range, the topics addressed are examined within the context of the practice and philosophy of different countries. With trends and practices varying from country to country, each topic is explored from a range of international perspectives. Structured into three distinct sections, the Handbook first addresses how students with disabilities and their families can prepare for the transition to postsecondary education, before moving to present an overview of the types of support and services available to students with disabilities. The final chapters then explore a variety of topics related to higher education and disability, including assistive technology, disability culture and social justice, emerging trends and promising practices, self-determination and universal design. This accessible Handbook will prove an invaluable reference tool for researchers, academics and students with an interest in the sociology of education from health, education and welfare policy perspectives, as well as for higher education policymakers and funding and governance bodies.

Beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act is a primer and quick reference guide for higher education professionals who work with students with disabilities, both apparent and hidden. Written for administrators, faculty, and staff, the book provides transferable information that is applicable to any campus. Since the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was enacted, there have been clarifications on the interpretation of the law, as well as a reauthorization act. In particular, the rules governing who is an individual with a disability and what forms of accommodation should be provided to these individuals have undergone profound updates. Student affairs professionals must stay current with the legal impact of these changes as the ADA concerns numerous aspects of student affairs, including technology, housing and residence life, career services, student activities, counseling, study abroad opportunities, student conduct, and more. Beyond the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights the value of inclusive thinking, particularly in terms of universal design pedagogy with its commitment to total inclusion. The book is not meant to address the accommodation process per se and does not prescribe adjustments or fixes for individual problems. Rather, it is based on the premise that accommodation and individual adjustments are insufficient if the mission of higher education is to provide equitable learning experiences for all students. The book is divided into four parts. Part I addresses the ADA and changing perspectives on disability. Part II covers information and communication technology. Part III examines emerging and growing populations and their impact on higher education. Part IV provides examples of best practices in student affairs and disability services.

Create campuses inclusive and supportive of disabled students, staff, and faculty Disability in Higher Education: A Social Justice Approach examines how disability is conceptualized in higher education and ways in which students, faculty, and staff with disabilities are viewed and served on college campuses. Drawing on multiple theoretical frameworks, research, and experience creating inclusive campuses, this text offers a new framework for understanding disability using a social justice lens. Many institutions focus solely on legal access and accommodation, enabling a system of exclusion and oppression. However, using principles of universal design, social justice, and other inclusive practices, campus environments can be transformed into more inclusive and equitable settings for all constituents. The authors consider the experiences of students, faculty, and staff with disabilities and offer strategies for addressing ableism within a variety of settings, including classrooms, residence halls, admissions and orientation, student organizations, career development, and counseling. They also expand traditional student affairs understandings of disability issues by including chapters on technology, law, theory, and disability services. Using social justice principles, the discussion spans the entire college experience of individuals with disabilities, and avoids any single-issue focus such as physical accessibility or classroom accommodations. The book will help readers: Consider issues in addition to access and accommodation Use principles of universal design to benefit students and employees in academic, cocurricular, and employment settings Understand how disability interacts with multiple aspects of identity and experience. Despite their best intentions, college personnel frequently approach disability from the singular perspective of access to the exclusion of other important issues. This book provides strategies for addressing ableism in the assumptions, policies and practices, organizational structures, attitudes, and physical structures of higher education.

"Over the last 50 years, Congress has enacted significant legislation to open up higher education to students, faculty, and staff members with disabilities. Yet colleges are still a long way from achieving equity for disabled people. Census data show that 18 percent of disabled adults aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree, a rate half that of adults without disabilities. And disabled people are underrepresented among college faculty and staff. Many colleges fall short of compliance with federal laws, opening them up to lawsuits and discrimination complaints. Meanwhile, caseloads are growing as students seek accommodations for an expanding range of conditions. This Chronicle report examines how colleges are working to make physical and digital spaces accessible to all and the challenges that students and employees face in obtaining accommodations. It features insights from activists, leaders in disability services, and students, staff, and faculty members with disabilities"-- [Provided by publisher]