Disability discrimination in South Korea: routine and everyday aggressions toward disabled people

In the past, the type of discrimination against persons with disabilities in South Korea was seen mainly as being related to the physical environment and social systems that ignored disability. However, the emergence of social model and anti-discrimination laws established in numerous countries has rapidly expanded the scope of social participation for persons with disabilities as well as their awareness of their rights. This article posits that a type of disability discrimination that could emerge in the future is microaggression, which can appear in diverse forms in newly formed human relationships as the scope of social participation increases.     

Socially disabled: the fight disabled people face against loneliness and stress

Abstract

In 2018, the United Kingdom appointed its first Minister for Loneliness. This article discusses some of the barriers which may contribute to why disabled people were found to be one of the largest groups affected by loneliness. Utilizing ethnographic examples supported by facts, the article demonstrates how even when seeking to fight loneliness, and to reduce the stressors of everyday life, disabled people are often at a disadvantage, or excluded. The article raises questions concerning self-social exclusion and discusses recommended avenues for further research.     

Dementia,disability rights and disablism: understanding the social position of people living with dementia

This article considers the recent history and consequences of positioning people living with dementia in the realms of disability, disablism and disability rights. The geo-political focus is the United Kingdom and neighbouring resource-rich nations in the Global North. The first section examines the growing trend of identifying ‘dementia’ with ‘disability’, a trend fuelled by the expansion of dementia-related activism and research. The second section focuses on how researchers who have published in Disability & Society and other journals have applied the social model of disability to individuals living with dementia. The third section discusses three conceptual challenges that lie ahead for those who choose to research and theorise the dementia/disability connection. These challenges concern: theorising dementia as disability; understanding intersectionality in dementia contexts; and understanding ‘abuse’ in dementia contexts.     

The struggle for citizenship: the case of disabled people

The notion of 'citizenship' has become a popular slogan of governments who espouse a commitment to democratic ideals. Such discourse tends to emphasise responsibilities with little serious significance being given to the question of rights. In this paper we explore the continual discrimination which disabled people experience and which militates against the realisation of meaningful citizenship. The struggle for citizenship is viewed as an affirmation of the value of choice, independent and control which disabled people conceive in terms of human rights.     

The Researched Opinions on Research: disabled people and disability research

Thirty-five disabled people with a range of physical, sensory and mental impairments were interviewed about (1) their experiences of research; (2) their general opinions concerning research; (3) whether they thought research had served/was serving disabled people well; (4) how research on disability should be conducted; (5) who should conduct research on disability; and, finally, (6) what they would like to be researched. In this paper, the results of aspects two to five are reported. It was found that the opinions of disabled people mirror quite strongly the recent arguments forwarded by disabled academics concerning the need for emancipatory and empowering research strategies. In particular, the respondents articulated a need for inclusive, action-based research strategies, where disabled people are involved as consultants and partners not just as research subjects, There were few arguments, however, for an exclusive approach, where disability research would be conducted solely by researchers who were themselves disabled.     

Vocational rehabilitation of disabled people in Germany: a systems-theoretical perspective

Avoiding inequality of opportunities based on individual characteristics such as sex, race or disability is of central concern for social policy. One of the most important aspects of social inclusion is integration into working life. In Germany, a comprehensive system of vocational rehabilitation has been developed aiming to integrate disabled people into the labour market. This paper contributes to a better understanding of exclusion and inclusion mechanisms related to employment participation of disabled people through the application of concepts from systems theory. We identify the societal part systems influencing these mechanisms and structure them using a multi-level approach.     

Negotiating identities: the lives of Pakistani and Bangladeshi young disabled people

Research has generally amalgamated minority ethnic (all called 'Asian' or 'black') disabled young people's experiences and failed to acknowledge the multiple aspects of Asian and black disabled identities, for example how the combined attributes of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, culture, class and disability shape their perspectives and experiences. In an attempt to address this issue my doctoral research explored the experiences and perspectives of 13 young Pakistani and Bangladeshi disabled people. By drawing on the substantive and theoretical findings which emerged from my analysis in this paper I shall consider how multiple aspects of identity, such as ethnicity, disability and gender, affect this population's identity and self-image and how this makes their experiences different from white disabled young people and other minority groups' experiences.     

Environmental hazard and disabled people: from vulnerable to expert to interconnected

Why are disabled people disproportionately affected by the impacts of environmental hazard, and is it really only their relative poverty that makes them so vulnerable? What might disabled people contribute from their experience of negotiating barriers to designing responses to the challenges of environmental hazard? Can the lived experience of inter-dependency, as opposed to individual independence, contribute to the radical rethinking of our relationships with the environment, other sentient beings and each other? Drawing on a short scoping study, this article reviews the multiple causes of disabled people’s vulnerability, and goes on to ask whether the experience disabled people enables them to become valued contributors, rather than just members of a vulnerable group. We also explore possible reasons for the lack of inclusion and diversity within the environmental movement, and suggest that the disability and environmental movements might make a more common cause.     

Self-organise and Survive: disabled people in the British trade union movement

This article considers 'self-organisation' as a survival strategy for marginalised groups within the British trade union movement. It arises from an ongoing research project into the 'self-organised groups' for women, black members, disabled members, and lesbian and gay members within the public sector unions NALGO and UNISON. Initially, I provide an overview of the relevant literature on trade unions and their marginalised memberships, and argue that the absence of disabled people bears the hallmarks of discrimination. The remainder of this article is intended as a first step towards remedying this injustice. It draws upon interviews with disability activists to highlight critical moments in the creation of the disabled members' group in the 1980s; key themes inscribed on their agendas and activities in the 1990s; and dilemmas which will impact upon the future survival of the group. Finally, I offer some suggestions for future work in this arena and interrogate my own position in this project.     

Citizenship and culture: the role of disabled people in Navajo society

Cultural constructs of disabilities can vary from one culture to another and significantly affect how the individual with disabilities is perceived, accepted, and accorded citizenship rights and responsibilities. This anthropological study of Navajo individuals with disabilities investigates these cultural constructs in a non-Western society from the perspective of the Navajo community members. Factors analyzed include child-rearing practices, the Navajo concept of childhood, and Navajo notions of health and unwellness. Historical attitudes toward disabled people are also explored, as well as changing attitudes due to the influence of Western biomedical explanations and interventions.     

Self-identity and the arts education of disabled young people

Overall, little is known about the ways in which disabled children and young people produce artwork or how they experience arts education. Neither is it known to what extent they are encouraged to produce work that engages with the expressive development of a sense of self that incorporates experiences of impairment and disability. This article is based on my recent PhD research which has investigated the ways in which a group of disabled young students are being enabled, via their arts education, to engage in a process of self-realisation whereby negative and oppressive perceptions of disability have been identified and addressed via their artwork. Whilst current post-social model discourses that emphasise the multiplicity or plurality of identity are acknowledged, my research has demonstrated that disabled young people can be empowered through the expression of the lived experience of impairment and disability and thereby encouraged towards a positive, inclusive and potentially multi-identity perspective.     

Denial of disability discrimination by disabled people in China

In contrast to the previous scholarly focus on anti-discrimination, which has long been described as a salient topic in the disability research area, this article discusses evidence to conclude that disabled people in China are inclined to deny social discrimination instead of finding ways to fight for social inclusion. Through interviews and observations, this article generalizes five types of causes – institutional causes, environmental causes, societal causes, familial causes and psychological causes – to explain an ‘observed phenomenon’ of discrimination denial in China. The authors worry that the phenomenon of discrimination denial might represent an even deeper type of discrimination, which might severely hinder the inclusion of disabled people into the mainstream. It is hoped that scholars may pay more attention to the intricate nature and fundamental paradox related to disability discrimination in non-western societies.     

The effectiveness of adult day services for disabled older people

Adult day care has attracted a considerable amount of attention among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. However, there have been few efforts to synthesize empirical results. This paper reviews research that determines the effectiveness of adult day services in improving client functioning, alleviating caregiver stress, and delaying nursing home placement. In addition, the strengths and limitations of the research are considered. This paper concludes with a discussion of policy-relevant issues that must be addressed when determining the effectiveness of adult day services.     

Aging, disability, and disabled older people in India

India is witnessing a demographic revolution, leading to a considerable increase in the proportion of older people in the population. Similarly, life expectancy of both the mentally and physically disabled has improved considerably. About 5% of Indian older people have problems with physical mobility. Aging has become a gender issue in India not only because more women are surviving into old age; they are also vulnerable and disadvantaged in many ways. In most cases they are the only caregivers available for the old and disabled. Older Indians are considered a high-risk group for multiple morbidity. It is estimated that nearly four million Indians suffer from mental problems. India has around 12 million people designated as "handicapped." However, little information is available about disabled people who grow older. The National Policy on Older Persons, which has been recently formulated, aims at providing an improved quality of life for millions of older Indians. However, the concerns of older disabled and of the disabled who grow old are still treated separately in both policy and practice.     

Disability and Dependency: origins and futures of 'special needs' housing for disabled people

In this paper we analyse the provision of housing for disabled people in both its historical and ideological contexts. While the recent extension of part M of the Building Regulations to dwellings by the government represents a significant advance towards the inclusion of disabled people, we argue that the shift in funding of public housing from a 'bricks and mortar' subsidy to Housing Benefit potentially creates greater dependency. This amounts to a policy contradiction in which the government is punishing disabled people for being dependent whilst simultaneously being the cause of their dependency. If this issue is not addressed disabled people will continue to remain excluded, albeit within accessible dwellings.