Disability Policy: An Eclectic Overview
The author of the article is Richard K. Scotch, a professor of sociology, public policy, and political economy. He is the author of numerous studies in the fields of disability rights, healthcare access, social inequality, and program evaluation.
The article notes that people with disabilities have become a recognized social force and group, but their economic and social position remains at the same level. The disability policy framework in the United States supports the social and economic marginalization of persons with disabilities (Scotch, 2000). The author conveys to the reader that the state policy towards persons with disabilities is based on generalizations. The author emphasizes that a change in approach to a problem can change the entire system for the better.
The author uses specific and actual examples of policies and also refers to the work of other authors who have considered this problem. The article offers a new understanding that spending the majority of the money on improvement programs that relieve the burden of physical disabilities is less effective than spending it on correction programs that increase the productivity of people with disabilities or change the environment in which they function.
People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement
Article author Joseph P. Shapiro is an award-winning journalist who has received the DuPont Award, the George Foster Peabody Award, the Robert F. Kennedy Award, and the Edward R. Murrow Award for his research work. He is a social policy writer, White House correspondent, and congressional reporter.
In this article, the author examines the process of fighting for the rights of people with disabilities through specific examples. He considers stories of confrontation of people with disabilities with stigmatization, prejudice, and excessive restrictions (Shapiro, 1994). Physical disabilities are not obstacles to active social, political, or professional activity. In contrast to the medical model, independence in disability is measured not by how far a person can go after an illness but by how a disabled person controls his life.
The author gives real examples of the life and success of people with disabilities, arguing how exactly they managed to achieve this. The article offers a new understanding that comfortable access to all areas of activity, including education and work, is possible and is their right, for which they effectively and successfully fight. Adapting schools and workplaces for people with disabilities is not tricky, and most excuses are based on prejudice rather than actual problems.
References
Scotch, R. K. (2000). Disability policy: An eclectic overview. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 11(1), 6-11.
Shapiro, J. P. (1994). No pity: People with disabilities forging a new civil rights movement. Broadway Books.