Disability, society, and the individual. (In Review).

Julie Smart
Aspen Publishers, Inc.
Gaithersburg, MD
2001, 357 pages, $49.00, soft cover

One of the challenges an individual encounters in reviewing any textbook is to comprehensively and yet succinctly provide the reader with a "preview" of an upcoming attraction. Disability, Society, and the Individual is an attraction that will prove to be a valuable resource for use by rehabilitation counselor educators and educators in the allied health profession. The author provides a very practical yet comprehensive approach to understanding the disability experience. The reviewer was particularly impressed by the utility of the book for rehabilitation counselor educators. It contains structured exercises and discussion questions, and supplemental resources that can be used in a variety of courses.

The reader will find an extensive array of topics, activities, and resources focusing on the disability experience. The book is divided into three major sections. The first section, Definitions of Disability, contains chapters covering definitions of disability and the various models of disabilities. The author begins Chapter 1 by posing the question "Does anyone know what normal is?" This question is followed by a discussion on the link between the academic discipline of statistics and eugenics and the purpose of categorizing disabilities. Chapter 2 examines three central models of disability including the medical, environmental, and functional models. This chapter further leads the reader into a review of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the need for person-first language.

The second section, Society and Disability, focuses on several sources and effects of prejudice and discrimination toward persons with disabilities. A few of the sociological aspects of disability discussed in Chapters 3 and 4 include (a) the economic and safety threat, (b) moral accountability for the cause and management of the disability, and (c) existential angst. Other pertinent and interesting topics in Chapters 5 and 6 include impression management, paternalism, infantilization, viewing persons with disabilities as objects, equal status relationships, and "contact theory." Chapter 6, Experiencing Prejudice and Discrimination, is especially informative. Of particular interest was the passage reviewing persons with disabilities' experience as "second-class citizens," which highlights the daily struggles encountered by persons with disabilities within society.

The third section, The Individual and Disability, concentrates on more of the psychosocial aspects of the disability experienced by the individual. Chapters cover the individual's response to disability and specific factors affecting the impact of the disability at certain stages of the life cycle. Chapter 7, the Individual's Response to Disability, reviews several "good and poor" responses to disability, cognitive restructuring, and specific consumer behavior that may impede the rehabilitation process. Ample coverage of the Stage Model Theory of Adaptation to Disability is also provided. Chapter 7 further provides an exhaustive list of resources containing first-person narratives of individuals having experienced disability. Chapter 8 addresses the onset and diagnosis of the disability. Some of the topics discussed that any reader would find interesting include (a) hearing children of parents who are deaf, (b) atypical childhood experiences, (c) congenital blindness, (d) residential schools, (e) acquired disabilities, and (IF) the impact of a long pre-diagnosis period. Chapter 9 reviews the courses, the severity, and the psychological reaction to the prognosis of the disability. The author concludes this book with an excellent discussion on the expectations of the rehabilitation process from the perspective of both the service provider and the persons with a disability.

This text contains excellent information that assists in facilitating the learning process within a rehabilitation context. The advantages of this text include the following:

Universality. This book can be used to train students across a variety of the allied health professions. Currently at Arkansas State University, this text is not only being used by academicians within the rehabilitation counseling program, but also within the physical therapy program.

Flexibility. The book can be used in a variety of Rehabilitation counseling courses as the central text or a supplemental reading/text. The text has utility as a core text in a Psychosocial Aspects of Disability course and as a supplemental text in Introduction to Rehabilitation, Medical Aspects of Disability, or Vocational Services in Rehabilitation.

Student Friendly. The text is written in a format that is easily understood by both the novice reader and the professional. I conclude that the author developed this book to be student friendly.

In-Class Learning Activities and Videos. The rehabilitation counselor educator can select any of the in-class learning activities or videos to enhance the educational experience. Many students are able to understand course content more effectively when additional learning tools are used. Recommended in-class activities are provided that range from excerpts from a comprehensive selection of disability-focused videos to in-class discussions. As an educator, the description of the videos and the discussion prompts for activities were extremely helpful.

Resources. Earlier, I described this book as a valuable resource for rehabilitation educators. Each chapter in Disability, Society, and the Individual serves as a one-stop center for information, resources, and activities that can be used in the classroom, such as extracts from Dear Abby, articles, excerpts from magazines, and newspaper clippings. I particularly enjoyed the articles and the excerpts from various publications portraying the personal experiences of persons with disabilities. This "reality" component provides the student with a tangible experience in which the content can be connected.

Suggested Readings. The suggested reading section furnishes the reader with an extensive review of the literature to supplement each section of the book. The rehabilitation educator can easily use the readings as a supplement to a specific section of the text. The rehabilitation counseling student may use the readings to further his/her personal pursuit of knowledge on a specific topic of interest.

Overall, Disability, Society, and the Individual prepares students with a comprehensive understanding of the clinical, legal, cultural, and personal definitions of disability, the individual's and society's role in the disability experience, and the rehabilitation process. It facilitates a deeper understanding and appreciation for persons with disabilities and the rehabilitation counselor's commitment to maximizing their independence and quality of life. Such a resource is indeed a valuable contribution to the rehabilitation counseling literature.

Tyra N. Turner, Rh.D., CRC, LAC
Assistant Professor
Arkansas State University