General Issues in Research on Local Concepts and Beliefs about Disability

Book description: How are disability and rehabilitation conceived of in differ- ent cultures? How can these concepts be made accessible? Studies from the fields of sociology, ethnology and educational science address these questions, while contributors from rehabilitation projects in development cooperation and from self-help movements highlight culturally different perceptions of disability. A distinctive feature of this volume is the dialogue it creates by bringing together scientific praxis and practical work. This book is a collection of virtually all the contributions presented and discussed at the symposium Local Concepts and Beliefs about Disability in Different Cultures. Here, people with disabilities from both North and South met with special education professionals, people working in development cooperation organizations and students and academics from different disciplines concerned with disability, and started a dialogue which is reflected in this volume. This dialogue, which was initiated at the symposium, should serve to continue in greater depth on the basis of this anthology. The reader has the further aim of carrying the dialogue beyond the restricted circle of symposium participants and making it accessible and comprehensible to a wider public. Disability in Different Cultures is an essential issue in development cooperation. On the one hand, disabilities, whether physical, mental or emotional, can be seen as parameters for the structural disadvantaging and deficits of the countries with so-called catching-up development. They are very frequently the results of hunger, malnutrition and wars. Thus NGOs are confronted with the issue of disability, regardless of the social and economic areas with which they are concerned. Another reason for addressing the issue of Disability in Different Cultures is that it is wide-reaching, even if it is the evident at first glance, and relates to the emancipatory potential of the topic. In exploring the wide variety of local concepts of and different ideas and beliefs about disability, it becomes strikingly clear just how differently a disability may be judged. In this light, disability can no longer be perceived as a physical, psychological or mental characteristic that a person is born with or has acquired in the course of her or his life. It becomes evident that to a large degree attitudes and interaction with others, which are usual in the respective social context form and influences the nature and extent of a disability, thereby determines the life of the disabled person. The editors are researchers and participate in the self-help movement in Germany and The Netherlands.