Bypassing the Perils of Victimisation: A Suggested Future Pathway for Disability Studies

Abstract

Current trends in Disability Studies hint at an overemphasis on the social model. Much description and analysis has been devoted to the dimensions of stigmatisation––how and why people with a disability are a disadvantaged social minority. While this is important, it can exacerbate victimisation in political and personal domains. This article scrutinises victimisation in disability thought and suggests ways to bypass the perils of victimisation. The article focuses on psychosocial implications of disability and, above all, suggests prescriptive measures––something rarely mentioned in disability thought.