Ability and Disability
Resources in this list address the physical and mental health of persons with disabilities.
Books and Resource Guides
Fine, M., & Asch, A. (Eds.). (1988). Women with disabilities: Essays in psychology, culture, and politics. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
This edited volume has three sections: Bodies and Images, Disabled Women in Relationships, and Policy and Politics. The essays cover a wide range of disabilities and address the tendency for disabled persons to be invisible in this society. Another common theme is the meaning of gender for both women and men with disabilities. The essays address a range of topics, from friendship to sexuality to workplace issues.
Glickman, N., & Gulati, S. (2003). Mental health care of deaf people: A culturally affirmative approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
The chapters cover assessment and treatment of diverse groups of deaf people, with a hands-on approach to their special needs. The volume includes a CD with pictorial questionnaires and information sheets designed to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of mental health problems in this population.
Gutman, V. (Ed.). (2002). Ethics in mental health and deafness. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
The author includes discussion of minority deaf populations, hard of hearing persons, training service providers, legal aspects, genetics, research, families with deaf persons, and the small world nature of the deaf community.
Olkin, R. (1999). What psychotherapists should know about disability. New York: Guilford.
Among the various issues discussed in this book are the three different perspectives on disabilities: (a) The moral model of disability, where individuals with disabilities are considered to have a "defect." This defect is a metaphor for some sort of moral degradation. (b) The medical model of disability, where the disability represents a loss of function, and non-disabled individuals take a "paternalistic" stance towards those with disabilities. (c) The minority model of disability, where individuals with disabilities encounter discrimination because society fails to accommodate those with disabilities and has negative attitudes towards them.
Book Chapters
Balter, R. (1999). From stigmatization to patronization: The media’s distorted portrayal of physical disability. In L. L. Schwartz (Ed). Psychology and the media: A second look (pp. 147-171). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
The author describes how people with disabilities have historically been portrayed in the media, with particular attention to media use of stereotypes. The author discusses how the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has affected the portrayal of disabilities in film and television. The chapter concludes with a review of how particular physical disabilities are depicte, including deafness, blindness, and orthopedic disabilities. At the conclusion of the chapter, the author lists steps the media can take to improve portrayals of physical disability.
Helb, M. R., & Kleck, R. E. (2000). The social consequences of physical disability. In T. F. Heatherton, R. E. Kleck, M. R. Hebl, & J. G. Hull (Eds.), The social psychology of stigma (pp. 419–439). New York: Guilford.
The authors discuss the stigmas associated with physical disabilities from a social psychological perspective. The authors discuss how both social and environmental constraints affect the lives of people with a physical disability. The perspectives of both disabled and nondisabled individuals are examined as are strategies for improving interactions between these two groups.
Leigh, I. W. (2003). Deaf: Moving from hearing loss to diversity. In J. S. Mio & G. Y. Iwamasa (Eds.), Culturally diverse mental health: The challenges of research and resistance (pp. 323–339). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
This chapter discusses the issue of deafness as a disability versus a culture. It also discusses how individuals undergo a process of including deafness into their identity and its implications for treatment.
Johnson, D. E. (2006). Teaching and mentoring students with disabilities. In W. Buskist & S. F. Davis (Eds.), Handbook for the teaching of psychology (pp. 153–158). Malden, MA: Blackwell.
This chapter discusses some fundamental issues faced by faculty who teach students with disabilities. Issues addressed include faculty attitudes, preparation, and practical tips for faculty who have little experience teaching students with disabilities.
Journal Articles
American Psychological Association. (2003). A new model of disability [Special issue]. American Psychologist, 58, 279–312.
This special section includes articles about a new paradigm for disability (Pledger, pp. 279–284); opportunities for extramural funding (Melia, Pledger, & Wilson, pp. 285–288); an integrative conceptual framework on disability, with an emphasis on new directions for research (Tate & Pledger, pp. 289–295); ways that disability within psychology is examined, and the current marginalization of the topic (Olkin & Pledger, pp. 296–304); and ways psychologists can affect national policy decisions, especially those affecting training and practice (Gill, Kewman, & Grannon, pp. 305–312).
Corrigan, P., Markowitz, F. E., Watson, A., Rowan, D., & Kubiak, M. A. (2003). An attribution model of public discrimination toward Persons with Mental Illness. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 44, 162-179.
The authors used survey data to examine people’s causal attributions about mental illness. Community college students’ beliefs about the persons’ responsibility for causing their condition were related to their affective reactions to those individuals. The authors also examined perceptions of dangerousness, which produced an increased fear of people with mental illness. However, familiarity with mental illness reduced discriminatory responses.
Fine, M. & Asch, A. (1988). Disability beyond stigma: Social interaction, discrimination, and activism. Journal of Social Issues, 44 (1), 3-21.
The authors address assumptions about the nature and meaning of disability in social-psychological writing. They suggest persons with disabilities comprise a minority group and that their problems can best be understood in a minority-group framework. Assumptions about disability are discussed as are the implications of these assumptions for society and social science.
Gordon, P. A., Feldman, D., Tantillo, J. C., & Perrone, K. (2004). Attitudes regarding interpersonal relationships with persons with mental illness and mental retardation. Journal of Rehabilitation, 70, 50-56.
Past research showing that persons with disabilities are stigmatized is extended to show that a hierarchical order of social acceptance of disabilities exists. Undergraduate students rated their knowledge of 13 disabilities and their comfort in interacting with persons with those disabilities. Mental retardation and mental illness were rated lowest of the 13 categories. Implications for counseling persons with disabilities are discussed.
Porter, A. (1999). Sign-language interpretation in psychotherapy with deaf patients. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 53(2), 163–176.
This article offers practical guidelines for general clinicians who are working with deaf clients. The author includes a review of the literature on sign language interpretation in psychotherapy and also summarizes the literature on understanding deaf culture and experience.
Wang, C. C. (1998). Portraying stigmatized conditions: Disabling images in public health. Journal of Health Communication, 3, 149–159.
The article addresses how communication about persons with disabilities can contribute to the stigma associated with those disabilities. The author includes vivid examples of how messages designed toward preventing injury can have the unintended consequence of increasing this stigmatization. The author interviewed persons with disabilities and their perspective is clearly articulated, again with vivid examples.
Web Resources
Accessiblity and Disablity Information and Resources in Psychology Training and Practice
Ken Pope has developed an excellent website about disability and accessibility. His annotated list of articles is here: http://kpope.com/accesspsych/index.php. He also provides information about topics such as accessibility issues in psychology training and practice, the civil rights of people with disabilities, assistive technology, accessibility standards for Web sites, disability-related legal issues in higher education and professional licensing, and the American Psychological Association's mentoring program.
The Job Accommodations Network
The resources section is particularly helpful (lower left of homepage); it provides detailed descriptions of an enormous range of disabilities, how they might manifest in a workplace, and suggestions for effective accommodations for each. This is a very practical resource that provides a grounded, reality-based sense of what individuals with a variety of disabilities are dealing with in day-to-day work and life.
Disability Etiquette Tips
This wonderful booklet, published by the United Spinal Association, is extremely useful to anyone in a relationship with anyone with a disability.
Introduction to Developmental Disabilities Syllabus
http://www.mcckc.edu/%7Ewestra/DDUMKCSyll.html
Matthew Westra from Longview Community College offers many excellent references on his extensive syllabus for his course. Click on "schedule" and then on any title to go directly to the article listed.
Resource Guide for Psychology Graduate Students With Disabilities
http://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resource/disabledstudents.pdf
This guide offers advice about critical issues that students with disabilities face, including articles on issues related to educational training and professional development. The guide also includes an overview of the major federal disability laws. A strength of the resource is its attention to practical advice about how to navigate the classroom and the campus.