Disability Studies is an area of study which examines social, political, cultural, and economic factors that define 'disability' and establish personal and collective responses to difference. This insightful new text will introduce readers to the discipline of Disability Studies and enable them to engage in the lively debates within the field. By offering an accessible yet rigorous approach to Disability Studies, the authors provide a critical analysis of key current issues and consider ways in which the subject can be studied through national and international perspectives, policies, culture...

Disputing the existing accepted approaches to autism and the focus on diagnosis and 'treatment', this book challenges the attitudes, assumptions and prejudices around autism that are generated from the medical model, suggesting that they can be marginalising, limiting and potentially damaging to the individuals labelled with autism.