Toward the Necessary Universalizing of a Disability Policy

Housing quality, disability and domesticity

“…This view is not only found in parts of housing studies, but reflects a broader, societal-wide, indifference to the subject matter of disability. This is a curious situation because disabled people are not necessarily part of a minority in that impairment is neither special nor specific to any particular individual or group (Imrie, 2004;Zola, 1989). Rather, impairment is intrinsic to the human condition in that all human beings are likely, at some stage in their lives, to experience bodily or physiological changes that, potentially, will affect the functioning of their bodies.…”

Negotiating Participation: How Women Living With Disabilities Address Barriers to Exercise

“…First, by exploring and presenting the reasons why and the specific ways in which women with disabilities participate in exercise within a community rather than a medical context, I intentionally challenge the pervasive medical model that views disability as a "personal tragedy," and physical or mental impairment as an issue always requiring rehabilitation (Shakespeare & Watson, 1997;Zola, 1989Zola, , 1991. I also attempt to go beyond mere identification of personal barriers to exercise by describing the specific strategies that women employ to negotiate broader social, structural, and attitudinal barriers to exercise within their communities.…”

Applying Evidence Standards to Rehabilitation Research

“…Diagnostic factors undoubtedly affect function, but pathology and disease alone do not determine disability or quality of life. 56 Rehabilitation involves psychosocial interventions and, in practice, the simultaneous application of psychosocial and medical interventions. Treatment objectives in rehabilitation may be at the level of disease, impairment, activity/participation, and/or quality of life, 57 and articulated biopsychosocial theories need to be explicated to specify the nested levels of rehabilitative interventions.…”