Contested ideas about disability, illness and identity in Sociology and Disability Studies

Carol Thomas

Centre for Disability Research (CeDR)Lancaster University

Medical Sociology Coping with a changed sense of self in the social world – personal identity

change and ascribed identity change.

Altered social relationships and interactions within families and among close

friends: coping, adjusting, adapting by small groups of people.

Managing medical encounters and adjusting to changed life circumstances -

associated with drug regimes, prostheses and ‘mobility aides’ etc. etc.

Intimate coping and managing of a changed body – dealing with what it could

and couldn’t do.

Social deviance paradigm in medical sociology

BUT different theoretical camps did adopt varied moral and political stances: - some were sympathetic to the ‘suffering’ associated with being disabled/deviant in society, while others SHARED in viewing ill and disabled people as ABNORMAL DEVIANTS – people of lesser worth and social value.

Social oppression paradigm in Disability Studies

It is society’s view and response to ‘disability’ that creates the problems and barriers that disabled people encounter – whether they have physical, sensory, intellectual or emotional impairments or long-term illnesses.

Social model of disability

In the broadest sense, the social model of disability is about nothing more

complicated than a clear focus on the economic, environmental and

cultural barriers encountered by people who are viewed by others as

having some form of impairment – whether physical, mental or

intellectual. The barriers disabled people encounter include inaccessible

education systems, working environments, inadequate disability benefits,

discriminatory health and social support services, inaccessible transport,

houses and public buildings and amenities, and the devaluing of disabled

people through negative images in the media – films, television, and

newspapers. (Oliver, 2004: 21).

Contested ideas

Social deviance perspective

Coping with loss, suffering, biographical disruption, identity change.

Social oppression perspective

Challenging disablism: like challenging sexism, racism, homophobia, ageism.

Encourage new ideas…..

• Intersectionality• Experiences• Global south and north – picture, Bolivia 2012• Theoretical perspectivese.g. critical disability studies