Disability: The Social, Political, and Ethical Debate

By: Robert M. Baird and Stuart E. Rosenbaum and S. Kay Toombs

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Synopsis: What is it like to experience disability? What are the prevailing cultural attitudes toward those who experience disability? How do social norms and public policies affect those experiencing disability? This book provides a vivid and concrete introduction to the wealth of social, political, and ethical debates that surround the disabled. Beginning with an exploration of the perspective of persons with disabilities, the essays demonstrate the extent to which the disability experience is affected by social and cultural values, attitudes, and policies. In addition to these first-person reflections, there are essays relating to such issues as: The disability rights movement; Disability studies; Social policy relating to disability; Physician-assisted suicide; genetic testing; selective abortion; the moral status of handicapped new-borns; living and dying with dignity. Written in an engaging style with a focus on the concrete, this collection of essays includes contributions by John Hockenberry, Charles Krauthammer, Peter Singer, and others. It is a marvellous resource for enabling the reader to comprehend the experience of disability and to explore contemporary issues involving the disability community.