Defining disability: the social construction of an illness career

Disability has been socially constructed through the institutions of medicine, education, work and welfare. Traditional theories concerning disability and people who have disabilities have been formulated from a mainstream (non-disabled) perspective, emphasizing a medical model, and personal accountability; personal limitations resulting from disability are cited as the main barriers experienced by people who have disabilities. This impacts negatively on people with disabilities, leading ultimately to stigmatization, a lack of personal rights and the development of a permanent "illness career". I contrast this traditional view with the "social" model of disability, in which the focus is on the social (rather than personal) barriers encountered by people who have disabilities. Medical standards that define normality and barriers in the areas of education, work and welfare systemically exclude people with disabilities from the opportunities which most Canadians take for granted. I critically analyse the 1991 Health and Activity Limitations Survey, undertaken by Statistics Canada to develop an "official" picture of disability. Although it is a strong survey, tapping many important issues for people who have disabilities, people are still forced into preformed categories, with all those who do not tit simply being left out. Statistics Canada focuses on mainstream notions of what it means to be disabled, citing personal disability rather than social barriers as the greatest limitation. In order to allow people with disabilities to enjoy full citizenship and personal rights we must challenge traditional social structures and re-theorize disability from the perspective of people who have disabilities. We must challenge dominant stereotypes in order to forge a more positive social and cultural identity for people who have disabilities.Arts, Faculty ofSociology, Department ofGraduat