A very capitalist condition: a history and politics of disability

Abstract

In themselves, handicaps are nowise tragic, but through the eyes of others, through their voices and their actions, we are constantly made aware that it is, and the sea of these 'white missionaries' is so great that they make converts of us-some falling rapidly into their concepts of our conditions, and some of us, less fortunate, struggling against this lie of tragedy. 33 The issue of what disability "really is" has been debated for the past half century. The first disability activists drew parallels with other oppressed groups while grappling with the distinctive features of disability. Where and how to draw a line between limitations imposed on individuals by particular impairments on the one hand and their widely varying experiences of social discrimination on the other remains a complex issue. This chapter critically assesses what is by far the most important and successful attempt to meet this challenge-the social model of disability.