Open AccessComing to Critical Disability Studies: Critical Reflections on Disability in Health and Social Work Professions
Author(s) -
Madeline Burghardt,
Tracey Edelist,
Ann Fudge Schormans,
Karen Yoshida
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
canadian journal of disability studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1929-9192
DOI - 10.15353/cjds.v10i1.743
Subject(s) - normative , disability studies , sociology , occupational science , work (physics) , occupational therapy , rehabilitation , international classification of functioning, disability and health , inclusion (mineral) , health professionals , critical theory , relation (database) , engineering ethics , public relations , psychology , epistemology , medicine , political science , social science , gender studies , health care , computer science , physical therapy , mechanical engineering , philosophy , database , law , engineering
This paper describes how four ‘helping’ professionals came to embrace and teach critical disability studies (CDS) perspectives rather than biomedical approaches to impairment and disability that traditionally inform those professions (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, and speech-language pathology). Sharing examples from our experiences, we describe how we came to question the normative, ableist assumptions of our professional disciplines. We then briefly outline literature demonstrating how critical approaches have been incorporated into professional research and practice and discuss possible obstacles and tensions in adopting more widespread critical approaches into professional spaces. We conclude by suggesting that continued development of connections among scholars and activists within CDS, rehabilitation and social work, and the community, is necessary to ensure that intersectional critical perspectives in relation to disability become a core component of professional training programs.