1st Edition
Disability Politics Understanding Our Past, Changing Our Future
This powerful book presents a series of perspectives on the process of self-organisation of disabled people which has taken place over the last thirty years. The 1980s saw a transformation in our understanding of the nature of disability, and consequently the kinds of policies and services necessary to ensure the full economic and social integration of disabled people. At the heart of this transformation has been the rise in the number of organisations controlled and run by disabled people themselves. Through a series of interviews with disabled people who have been centrally involved in the rise of the disability movement, the authors present a new collective history which throws light on the politics of the 1980s, and offers insights into future political developments in the 1990s and on into the twenty-first century.
Biography
Jane Campbell has specialised in the areas of disability rights and independent living and was a recent Chair of the British Council of Disabled People. During her term in office she has seen the organisation through some of its most pioneering work in the field of independent living, civil rights, peer counselling and equal opportunities. She is currently running a training and project management consultancy in disability rights and independent living.,
Mike Oliver is a disabled academic and political activist. He served on the management committees of SKILL and SIA when they were formed and he was a founding council member of the BCODP, in which he continues to be involved through their research sub-group. He is also a member of DAN. He is to date the only Professor of Disability Studies in Britain, and has published numerous books and articles on disability issues.
'It is a fascinating insight to many aspects of disability, a crucial piece in the disability jigsaw. Thoroughly recommended reading!' - Disability Scotland
'This is an easy book to read as it is well written, interesting and informative.' - Health and Social Care in the Community
'This is a rich text ... a straight talking and thought provoking book ... Campbell and Oliver have written and assembled an accessible text that is not afraid to confront some of the tensions and challenges that are reshaping the power structures of disability politics. - Disability and Society
' ... without doubt, a remarkable contribution to the limited collection of books written by disabled people about their collective experiences as members of an oppressed social group.' - Disability Politics
