2nd Edition
Disability and International Development A Guide for Students and Practitioners
Disability and International Development provides a comprehensive overview of the key themes in the field of disability and development, including issues around identity, poverty, disability rights, education, health, livelihoods, disaster recovery and approaches to researching disability.
As disability becomes increasingly prominent within the international development agenda, the need for governments and development actors to have a basic understanding of disability issues, as they seek to support disabled people to access their rights to full participation in society, has never been more acute. Drawing on a range of examples taken from around the world, this book introduces readers to the key topics and theories surrounding disability and development. The second edition of this popular textbook includes increased coverage of environmental accessibility, intersectionality, and reflections on the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on disabled people and the prospects for change in a post-pandemic environment.
Written in an accessible and engaging style to suit both students and practitioners, the book includes a wide range of reflection exercises, discussion questions and further reading suggestions, making it the perfect introduction to disability and international development.
Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Understanding, Defining and Measuring Disability Chapter 3: Disability, Identity and Shared Experiences of Poverty Chapter 4: International Agreements on Disability Chapter 5: Disabled People’s Organisations and the International Disability Rights Movement Chapter 6: Environmental Accessibility Chapter 7: Disability, Health and Rehabilitation Chapter 8: Access to Education Chapter 9: Pathways to Economic Participation Chapter 10: Disability and Disasters Chapter 11: Disability and the COVID-19 Pandemic Chapter 12: Researching Disability
Biography
David Cobley is Lecturer in Disability and Development, University of Birmingham, UK.
Praise for the first edition
"Disability and International Development is a major contribution towards making the human rights of persons with disabilities, especially the right to be included in international cooperation, a reality. Cobley has provided a work that provides both a critical reading of disability and development theory and is immediately applicable in the concrete work of policymaking and program implementation."
Stephen Meyers, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Law, Society and Justice/Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington, USA
"David Cobley has written an excellent introductory textbook on disability and international development, that provides mandatory reading for all students studying development studies and disability studies. It positively combines a very good academic grounding in this ever-expanding field with excellent case studies that illustrate the practicalities of living with a disability in developing countries."
Raymond Lang, Senior Research Fellow, Leonard Cheshire Disability and Inclusive Development Centre, University College London, UK
"This book provides a great tool to generate interdisciplinary dialogue regarding the relevance of disability across sectors for inclusive, sustainable development. For all students, academics and researchers, the book tackles terminology and theories that inform approaches to inclusive policies and programmes. It addresses the complexity of service provision across sectors, which demonstrates the multiple transitions experienced by persons with disabilities and their families. "
Theresa Lorenzo, Professor and Programme Convenor for Disability Studies Doctoral Programme, University of Cape Town, South Africa
Excerpt of review in Disability and Society, Routledge
"…an excellent introduction to the topic especially for those familiar with only one of the fields concerned: disability or development. This book is the perfect launch pad for students and practitioners who work in only one of the fields and would like to work in, or promote, disability inclusive development. Cobley brings together various literatures from disability studies and covers a wide range of topics, ranging from western disability models to international and regional treaties governing disability rights, health, education, employment, disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) and the disability movement, the disability–poverty nexus, and also less-covered topics like disasters. It ends with a very important subject: researching disability and the importance of enabling methods. Throughout the book, the author cites examples from different parts of the world, including Asia, Africa, the Americas, as well as western countries. The book does what it sets out to do and what it claims to do in the title: it guides students and early practitioners by giving a general overview of the salient aspects of disability in development."-
Lara Bezzina, Independent Researcher, Malta
