Suchergebnisse

After reviewing changes in the notion of disability from a physiological to a social problem, a new conceptualization is offered that views disability as a product of the political economy, ie, a "socially created category derived from labor relations" or a "product of the exploitative economic structure of capitalist society.that creates (& then oppresses) the 'disabled' body as one of the conditions that allow the capitalist class to accumulate wealth." It is argued that the primary oppression of disabled persons lies in their exclusion from participation in wage labor, a form of exclusion then extended to other activities of social & economic life. Subsequent impoverishment of the disabled who must survive on disability benefits further separates them from the capitalist class. In addition, the threat of becoming disabled is used as a form of social control to frighten able-bodied workers into continued servitude to the capitalist workforce. The rise of movements & organizations dedicated to the rights of the disabled is discussed & their transformative political potential is evaluated. The unfilled promises of legislation such as the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act are reviewed. K. Hyatt Stewart