Rethinking Disability

The act of life is a lived experience, common and unique, that ties each of us to every other lived experience. The fact of disability does not alter this fundamental truth. In this book, readers are presented with a system of thinking that considers the values of disability, as a resource, as a creative source of culture that moves disability out of the realm of victimized people and insurmountable barriers, and provides opportunities to use the experience of disability to enter into networks that recognize strengths of differing abilities. The authors' accounts will intrigue you, will move you, will charm you, but always will challenge your notion of sameness and difference as they confront the construct and (de)construct of disability and ableism. A compelling argument for viewing disABILITY through the multiple lenses of disability culture is presented here. Themes and issues are further explored that transcend past and origins, time and place, nuances of genetics, to experiences of present and becoming. This book is intended for all audiences who dare to confront difference and sameness within themselves and in connection with others; to inspire researchers who wish to explore and examine disability across social, cultural, and economic barriers. It is an invitation to push away the barriers, bring ableism inside to a place where the prosthesis is no longer the elephant in the room. *** "Overall, Rethinking Disability provides a rich starting-point for scholars newly interested in disability studies and culture, and points of conversation for those working to further the field." --H-Disability, December 2017 [Subject: Disability Care, Sociology]Ã?Â?