Disability and the Sociological Imagination provides an expertly developed and accessible overview of the relatively new and growing area of sociology of disability. Written by one of the field’s leading researchers, it discusses the major theorists, research methods, and bodies of knowledge that represents sociology’s key contributions to our understanding of disability. Unlike other available texts, it examines the ways in which major social structures contribute to the production and reproduction of disability, and examines how race, class, gender, and sexual orientation shape the disability experience

Disability and the Sociological Imagination is the first true undergraduate text for the relatively new and growing area of sociology of disability. Written by one of the field’s leading researchers, it discusses the major theorists, research methods, and bodies of knowledge that represents sociology’s key contributions to our understanding of disability. Unlike other available texts, it examines the ways in which major social structures contribute to the production and reproduction of disability, and examines how race, class, gender, and sexual orientation shape the disability experience

C. Wright Mills′ classic The Sociological Imagination has inspired generations of students to study Sociology. However, the book is nearly half a century old. What would a book address, aiming to attract and inform students in the 21st century? This is the task that Steve Fuller sets himself in this major new invitation to study Sociology. The book: Critically examines the history of the social sciences to discover what the key contributions of sociology have been and how relevant they remain. Demonstrates how biological and sociological themes have been intertwined from the beginning of both disciplines, from the 19th century to the present day. Covers virtually all of sociology′s classic theorists and themes. Provides a glossary of key thinkers and concepts. This book sets the agenda for imagining sociology in the 21st century and will attract students and professionals alike.

Len Barton’s intellectual and practical contribution to the sociology of disability and education is highly significant and widely known. The leading scholars in this collection, including his long term collaborators, offer both a celebration and a reassessment of this contribution, addressing the challenge that the social model of disability has presented to dominant medicalised concepts, categories and practices, and their power to define the identity and the lives of others. At the same time the authors build upon some of the key themes that are woven through Len Barton’s work, such as his call for a ‘politics of hope’. This collection explores a wide range of topics, including: difference as a field of political struggle the relationship of disability studies, disabled people and their struggle for inclusion radical activism: organic intellectuals and the disability movement discrimination, exclusion and effective change inclusive education the ‘politics of hope’, resilience and transformative actions universal pedagogy, human rights and citizenship debates. The Sociology of Disability and Inclusive Education highlights Len Barton’s humane vision of academic work, of the nature of an inclusive and non-discriminatory society, of the role of an education system which addresses the rights, and potential of all participants. It indicates how such a society could be achieved through the principles of social inclusion, human rights, equity and social justice. This book was originally published as a special issue of the British Journal of Sociology of Education.

With renowned international contributors and expert contributions from a range of specialisms, this book will appeal to academics, students and researchers of sociology.

This is an exciting new introductory textbook for anyone studying disability. As well as providing an excellent overview of the existing literature in the area, the book also develops an understanding of disability that has implications for both sociology and society.

Disability, Augmentative Communication, and the American Dream is a collaborative effort to tell the life story of Jon A. Feucht, a man who was born with a form of cerebral palsy that left him reliant on a wheelchair for mobility, with limited use of his arms and an inability to speak without an assistive communication device. It is a story about finding one’s voice, about defying low expectations, about fulfilling one’s dreams, and about making a difference in the world. Sociologist C. Wright Mills famously called for a “sociological imagination” that grapples with the intersection of biography and history in society and the ways in which personal troubles are related to public issues. Disability, Augmentative Communication, and the American Dream heeds this call through a qualitative “mixed–methods” study that situates Feucht’s life in broader social context, understanding disability not just as an individual experience but also as a social phenomenon. In the tradition of disability studies, it also illuminates an experience of disability that avoids reading it as tragic or pitiable. Disability, Augmentative Communication, and the American Dream is intended as an analytical and empirical contribution to both disability studies and qualitative sociology, to be read by social science scholars and students taking courses in disability studies and qualitative research, as well as by professionals working in the fields of special education and speech pathology. Written in an accessible style, the book will also be of interest to lay readers who want to learn more about disability issues and the disability experience.