CLASS 4 – DISABILITY DEFINITIONS AND DEMOGRAPHICS
Select two questions and answer them based on what you read. Then use quotes, stats, ideas or other aspects of the course materials for the week to support your answers:
1. The “social model” of disability holds that although people may have impairments, society’s attitudes and the built environment cause disability. Do you think that the environment and attitudes that cause disability are true for all disabilities, or are there somewhere you think this model or theory falls apart?
2. Why is it so difficult to ascertain the number of people with disabilities? Do you think the prevalence rates for particular disabilities that experts report are accurate? Why or why not? How do we explain the increase in Autism?
3. After reading the articles for this week’s class, has your view of the definition of disability changed? Please explain your answer.
4. This question relates to disability identity. People with intellectual or developmental disabilities are typically referred to using people-first language. That is, we refer to someone as “a person with cerebral palsy” or “a person with an intellectual disability.” But many, if not all, people with physical disabilities have embraced an ‘identity politics’ approach and want to be referred to as ‘disabled people.’ And some individuals on the autism spectrum also want to be called ‘Autistics’ as they want to make the point that they don’t see anything wrong with their ASD. So how do you typically refer to people with disabilities, and do you think there should be universal terminology to identify disabled people?
Disability Definitions and Demographics:
Altman’s article talks about the challenges involved in determining who does and does not have a disability – for those interested in social policy. If you want to assist a population, you need to know how many and what categories of assistance they might require.
Counting Disability
This article helps us understand disability definitions in a public health/international context. It uses a much different perspective than the social model. If you haven’t thought about disability in a public health context, this is an interesting introduction. However, it’s complicated so take your time reading it.
The Dictionary of Disorder The Dictionary of Disorder
The article about creating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual is a bit old but illustrates how subjective all of the medical establishment’s categories are.
Person First vs. Identity First language
Link: https://jtds.commons.gc.cuny.edu/person-first-language-vs-identity-first-language-an-examination-of-the-gains-and-drawbacks-of-disability-language-in-society
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