Exploring Disability: A Sociological Introduction

1. Introduction. 2. Understanding Disability. What a difference a decade makes! Developing a sociological imagination. Comparative and historical perspectives. A tale of two models. Sociological issues and approaches. Review. 3. Sociological Approaches to Chronic Illness and Disability. Sick role behaviour. Labelling theory. Experience of 'chronic illness and disability'. Medical and professional power. Medicalization. Towards a sociology of the disabled body? Review. 4. Enter Disability Theory. New ways of analysing disability. Developing a social theory of disability. Review. 5. Disabling Barriers. The disabled family. Education. Employment. Built environment, housing and transport. Review. 6. Social Policy and Disabled People. Disability and the welfare state. Social security policy. Social support in the community. Review. 7. Politics and Disability Politics. Politics and disabled people. Disability protest: a new social movement? Identity politics. Review. 8. Culture, Leisure and the Media. Sociological approaches to culture. Leisure and social life. Cultural representations of disability. Towards a disability culture. Review. 9. Advancing the Sociology of Disability. Theory: Out with the old and in with the new? Disabling research. Life chances. Moving forward. Bibliography. Index.