Disability Studies and the Disability Perspective

At a meeting of Society for Disability Studies Anthony Bale presented a paper in which he called for a statement of the perspective of the disability community. He observed that most members of the Society for Disability Studies use the terms "disability studies" and "disability" in commonly accepted ways. However, as Bale observed, there is no commonly accepted view of the disability perspective. In response to Bale's call this paper presents the disability perspective. It is based upon the phenomenon of being a survivor with the empathy, gentleness, and understanding which comes out of that experience. From that understanding comes a sense of justice, or rather injustice, about society. This moral imperative leads to the investigation of how to change society and why society treats its marginalized members in such a frustrating and deathly way. The paper concludes with reflections upon how to open society up to disabled (and non-disabled) persons.