Disability Studies

This approach focuses on studying and examining the lived experiences of disabled people, revealing stigmas, and advocating for social change.

What is disability studies?

"Disability studies is an academic discipline that examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability."

What were the initial focuses in disability studies?

"The field focused on the division between 'impairment' and 'disability', where impairment was an impairment of an individual's mind or body, while disability was considered a social construct."

What are the two distinct models of disability?

"This premise gave rise to two distinct models of disability: the social and medical models of disability."

Which model of disability was universally accepted by the field in 1999?

"The social model was universally accepted as the model preferred by the field."

How has the division between social and medical models of disability been challenged?

"In recent years, the division between the social and medical models has been challenged."

What has been the focus of recent interdisciplinary research in disability studies?

"Recent investigations suggest using 'cross-sectional markers of stratification' may help provide new insights on the non-random distribution of risk factors capable of exacerbating disablement processes."

What topics are covered in disability studies courses?

"Disability studies courses include work in disability history, theory, legislation, policy, ethics, and the arts."

What is the key focus in disability studies for students?

"However, students are taught to focus on the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities in practical terms."

What is the overall goal of disability studies?

"The field is focused on increasing individuals with disabilities' access to civil rights and improving their quality of life."

Where did disability studies primarily emerge?

"Disability studies primarily emerged in the US, the UK, and Canada."

When was the Society for Disability Studies established?

"In 1986, the Section for the Study of Chronic Illness, Impairment, and Disability of the Social Science Association (United States) was renamed the Society for Disability Studies."

Where was the first US disability studies program established?

"The first US disabilities studies program emerged in 1994 at Syracuse University."

When was the first edition of the Disabilities Studies Reader published?

"The first edition of the Disabilities Studies Reader was published in 1997."

When did the field of disability studies grow rapidly?

"The field grew rapidly over the next ten years."

What area of disability studies is focused on in Germany?

"Germany looks at queer disability studies since the beginning of the early 20th century."

How is disability studies influenced in Germany?

"The disability studies in Germany are influenced by the written literary works of feminist sexologists who study how being disabled affects one's sexuality and ability to feel pleasure."

What is the focus of disability studies in Norway?

"In Norway, disability studies are focused on in the literary context."

When did the first accessibility studies program emerge at Central Washington University?

"A variation emerged in 2017 with the first accessibility studies program at Central Washington University."

What are the key interdisciplinary focuses of the accessibility studies program?

"[The program has] an interdisciplinary focus on social justice, universal design, and international Web Accessibility Guidelines (WAG3) as a general education knowledge base."

What is the significance of disability studies globally?

"Disability studies were also conducted in other countries through different lenses."