Disability policies, transnationalism and policy diffusion: ‘Asocial’ models of inclusion for children and youth in low and middle-income countries (LMICs)

Abstract

This paper examines the advances made by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the inclusion of children with disabilities and youth within mainstream policies on education, employment, health, and social care provisions and the implications on their outcomes. Theoretically, this paper advances critical disability studies and addresses stigma and discrimination as barriers to progressive social policies. It also critically examines the diffusion of the social model of disability, which finds expression in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Methodologically, this paper uses latent class analysis (LCA) to analyse clusters of LMICs, regarding the adoption of social-legal provisions as stipulated by the CRPD. Finally, the paper concludes with a paradigm shift within the sociology of disability towards a sociology of enablement within the fold of emancipatory politics that addresses stigma and discrimination.