Yet, various academic traditions have placed distinctive emphasis on terms such as the individual or the environment, the "inability or limitation," the nature of "roles and tasks," and the notion of "expectations." Moreover, each word embodies specific values, and each term also connotes different programmatic solutions to the problem. Perhaps the most commonly accepted definition of disability, for example, is Nagi's concept of "a form of inability or limitation in performing roles and tasks expected of an individual within a social environment." (5). Political scientists not only have failed to devote significant attention to disability, but perhaps even more importantly, they have also avoided the crucial responsibility of examining the normative implications of research in other disciplines that yield different policy prescriptions. Much of the apparent indifference to this issue undoubtedly has reflected conceptual confusion. Yet, disability policy has been virtually ignored by political scientists. as well as in several recent anthologies which combine the perspectives of various disciplines. Increasingly, the subject of physical disability has emerged as a major focus of research in psychology (1). Increasing acceptance of the socio-political definition of disability, however, may provide a means of restructuring and reconceptualizing the study of this subject.Īmong the wide range of political issues that have become the objects of significant scholarly interest, relatively little attention has been devoted to the study of disability policy. Although the concept that disabled citizens comprise a minority group has long been recognized in psychology, economics, and sociology, the development of this model has previously been impeded by the lack of a strong emphasis on the political dimensions of the issue. The latter view has led to a new emphasis on anti-discrimination measures and to a "minority-group" model of disability, which recognizes that the environment is molded by public policy and that policy is a reflection of prevalent social attitudes and values. Many of these changes can be traced to a definitional shift from a medical orientation, which focuses on functional impairments, and an economic approach, which stresses vocational limitations, to a socio-political perspective which regards disability as the product of the interaction between the individual and the environment. The study of disability is experiencing significant changes which have affected all of the social sciences, but relatively little attention has been devoted to this subject by political scientists. Toward a Politics of Disability: Traditions and Prospects By Harlan Hahn, University of Southern California (1985)
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