Studying Disability

Elizabeth DePoy is a professor at University of Maine School of Social Work where she has taught research and evaluation methods for 28 years. Her scholarship in social work focuses on methods of inquiry and particularly on integrating research, evaluation, and professional practice. She has co-authored 15 books and over 100 articles and presents her work locally through globally. Her most recent books include Branding and Designing Disability, and the 5th edition of Introduction to Research. Stephen Gilson is professor at the University of Maine where he teaches human behavior in the social environment, diversity theory, and biology for social workers. His own work is informed by systematic inquiry and thus he is committed to the synthesis of practice and research within social work. Stephen has authored/coauthored 12 books and over 80 articles including Branding and Designing Disability and Evaluation Practice. He presents his work nationally and internationally.

This book provides a different perspective to that offered by many other textbooks, with that it can potentially enhance and enrich the debate.

• PART I: FOUNDATIONS1. Foundations2. Looking Back: Ancient Greece Through the 19th Century3. Disability in the 20th and 21st Centuries-Medical Condition, Construction or CommodityPART II: DESCRIPTION AND EXPLANATION: BUILDING ON EXPLANATORY LEGITIMACY4. The Descriptive Element of Explanatory Legitimacy5. Explanations Introduced6. Longitudinal Explanations7. Environmental Explanations8. Categorical Explanations9. Systems Explanations10. Contemporary and Emerging ExplanationsPART III: LEGITIMACY11. Legitimacy-What is it?12. Who is a Legitimate Category Member13. Legitimate Humanities Responses14. Legitimate Social Science Responses15. Legitimate Professional ResponsesPART IV: FASHIONING COMMUNITIES16. Integrative Academic-Professional Stance Through Disjuncture Theory17. A Social Justice Model of Community Legitimacy: Creating Human-Environment JunctureReferencesAbout the Authors