Studia postižení
Disability Studies

Author(s): Hana Porkertová
Subject(s): Media studies, Social Philosophy, Politics and society, Social development, Health and medicine and law, Social Norms / Social Control
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: social model of disability; ability and disability;
Summary/Abstract: The chapter talks about the development of disability studies and its key points such as the intersection of activism and academia, the social model of disability, or interconnection of various disciplines. The ways of thinking about ability, disability, normal and abnormal bodies and people, are highly formed by the society—by education, media, expert and lay discourses ranging from medicine to social policy—and influence how cities, streets and houses are designed. Therefore, the aim of disability studies is to change the discourses and modes of behavior so that they are more inclusive. The chapter discusses beginnings of this field at the interconnections of activism and academia, and its difficult position in the Czech Republic, where it is not an established major at any university. Here, especially the public discourse revolves around the medical model of disability that sees the core of the problem in one’s impairment, instead of focusing on disabling processes leading to discrimination, which the social model of disability, pivotal for disability studies, does. However, the chapter also discusses various critiques of the social model.

• Details
• Contents