Donna Williams was born in Australia in 1963. She was assessed at age two as psychotic, labelled disturbed and tested for deafness throughout childhood before being diagnosed as autistic in 1990. Today she is an internationally best-selling author with nine published books, an artist, singer-songwriter and emerging screenwriter. One of the most ......
Linton (education foundations and counseling programs, Hunter College) focuses on the fact that the definition of disability is a matter of social debate and cultural construction. She argues that not only does disability studies deserve a place in curriculums, it is in fact central to the humaniti
rom 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 ......
This book presents a comparative analysis of mental health policy in Western Europe and North America. It also considers how and why different policies have developed. Simon Goodwin examines the transition from institutional to community-based models of care for people with mental health problems, identifying variations in the inception, pace and style in which community-based service provision has emerged in different countries. Goodwin also assesses the problems and issues that have arisen as a result of the shift towards more community-based systems of care and treatment, and argues that it is a policy made up of conflicting aims and purposes, which is reflected in its implementation.
Beginning with infancy and the diagnosis of congenital or early onset disabilities, this book identifies traditional developmental life stages for those with disabilities as well as the impact of disability at each of these periods. It then provides specific information for four different disabilities: Down's syndrome, visual impairment, cerebral ......
Images and Origins of Deaf Families, Deaf Communities and Deaf Identities
''Deaf transitions'' explores deaf people's individual ways of being in the family and community context. It examines how deaf people's experiences of family and community relationships, from birth to adulthood, come to construct their meaning of 'family', 'community' and 'identity'. It illuminates the life transitions that deaf people make in ......
This volume details the self-reported stress of being Black in the United States, and documents the cultural resources African Americans draw upon to overcome adversity and maintain a positive, healthy perspective on life. Based on data obtained from a United States National Survey of Black Americans, the book first discusses psychological and sociological factors affecting life satisfaction. Contributors then explore how these psychosocial factors contribute to such health problems as alcoholism and hypertension. The volume concludes with an examination of strategies Black Americans use in their attempt to solve life problems. These include: prayer; avoidance; active problem-solving; and seeking help from family, community mental health providers and law enforcement agencies.
This study presents theoretical and practical perspectives on how society intervenes in the lives of people with disabilities, demonstrating ways in which such interventions can be ineffective and often counter-productive. The contributors to this volume seek to illustrate how, with thought and planning - and in some cases a shift of emphasis or attitude - resources for "disabled" individuals could be used more effectively. Issues covered include: considerations of specific types of disability; an examination of care and counselling; discussions of training, legislation and management; the impact of the caring professions on those with disabilities; and future developments in disability services. This work is a course reader for the Open University course K255, The Disabling Society.
