Commonality and Difference in the Movement: an 'Association of Blind Asians' in Leeds

Qualitative research with a group of blind Asian people in Leeds indicated that issues of 'difference' were perceived as more important in mobilising disabled people at a local level than the issues of 'commonality' which characterise the international disability movement. Respondents identified more strongly with their experience of specific impairment and specific cultural identity than with their common experience of disablement. It is argued that such issues are common to other social movements and that the disability movement can learn much from the histories of Black people's movements and the women's movement. In building a successful movement at a local, national and international level, disability alliances will need to challenge racist stereotypes about Black disabled people and their families. They will need to support Black-led groups which organise separately while, at the same time, creating more enabling environments for Black people to participate more fully.     

Same Difference? Older People's Organisations and Disability Issues

This paper addresses some important areas of commonality in the political interests of older and disabled people. The paper reports findings from survey and interview research with local organisations representing older people, and their engagement with disability issues. We begin by reviewing similarities in the claims and mobilisation of older and disabled people, and by reviewing the groups that participated in the study. The main part of the paper identifies substantive policy issues that were perceived as important to older people. Here, there are considerable areas of overlap with the claims of disabled people's organisations (for example, in relation to information, independent living, accessible housing, transport, social support, and incomes). We review these commonalities and offer some thoughts on the potential for political alliance between the two movements. The paper concludes that, while there are considerable areas of common ground, there remain cultural barriers to the mobilisation of such alliances.     

Direct Payments and Disabled People in the UK: Supply, Demand and Devolution

Direct payments have brought new opportunities for self-determinationand independent living to disabled people in the UK, featuringprominently in government strategy and the 2006 White Paper,‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’. However, ten yearsafter direct payments legislation, take-up remains low and implementationvaries greatly. Rates of take-up in England remain more thandouble those in other parts of the UK, raising questions aboutdevolution and equity. This paper presents data from a nationalstudy to examine some of the mechanisms underlying uneven outcomesfor disabled people in different parts of the United Kingdom,with particular reference to the politics of devolved governance.The analysis focuses on scope for interpretations of policy;resources for information and training; the impact of mandatoryduties and targets; extensions to new user groups; and the roleof support organizations and disability activism. The evidencesuggests that local variations have been produced not only by‘local’ factors, but also by different opportunitystructures for policy development in England, Scotland, Walesand Northern Ireland. This raises questions about the impactof devolution on equity and opportunity for disabled peoplein the UK.     

Towards an agenda for disability research in Europe: learning from disabled people’s organisations

This paper addresses the challenges of building capacity for collaborative participatory research with disabled people’s organisations in European countries. The paper presents initial findings from the project ‘European Research Agendas for Disability Equality’ (EuRADE), which seeks to build the capacity of civil society organisations to participate in future research collaborations in partnership with academic institutions. The findings draw on survey data identifying the research capacity, needs and priorities of 68 organisations in 25 countries and focuses, in particular, on responses from national or European level representative organisations of disabled people. The findings demonstrate a high degree of motivation and readiness for collaboration in academic research but raise concerns about the readiness of academic institutions to engage disabled people as equal partners within social model and rights‐based approaches. Respondent organisations identified a wide range of research needs that raise challenges for collaborative responses from the academic community. In this way, the findings provide a basis for developing user‐led agendas for European funded research within the emancipatory paradigm, and indentify important opportunities for new international research collaborations between activists and academics.     

Constructions and Creations: idealism, materialism and disability theory

This paper suggests that a proper understanding of disability theory requires more than a distinction between individual and social model approaches. It is also helpful to distinguish between materialist and idealist explanations. These two dimensions are used to generate a four-fold typology which highlights important differences between the main approaches. Social models are distinguished as those premised upon commonality. However, it is argued that recent discourses of 'difference' do not detract from social model theory. Social model approaches are examined in more detail and the paper concludes that although social constructionist accounts have been useful they do not provide a sufficient level of explanation. Disabling social values reflect material relations of power and may be better explained as 'ideology'.     

Disability and disaster recovery: a tale of two cities?

This paper examines the connections between disability and disaster from a global perspective. Concepts from the research and policy literature are used to distinguish between individual and social models of disability, and between natural hazards and human disasters. These concepts are then employed to investigate data on the response to disabled people's recovery needs in two recent case studies: the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. The analysis combines primary, secondary and tertiary sources to explore disability issues in the reconstruction of inclusive communities and the lessons that may be learned about disaster preparedness in poor communities. The conclusions suggest that more attention should be paid to social model approaches, particularly in understanding global links with poverty, and that disabled people's organisations should be resourced as agents of disaster recovery and preparedness.