Lisa Schur, Douglas Kruse, and Peter Blanck: People with Disabilities: Sidelined or Mainstreamed?

Abstract

Persons with disabilities represent a significant and increasing proportion of working-age adults worldwide. More governments are recognizing the benefits of fully capturing the skills and abilities of the entire potential workforce, new international agreements now support the rights of persons with disabilities, and rapid technological advancement is providing new opportunities and freedoms. This book addresses these developments, describing the current economic, social, and political situation of persons with disabilities across the world, and the influences that have led to this situation. This highly current, contextual view is especially valuable for occupational rehabilitation researchers and practitioners, eager to understand employment opportunities and barriers for persons with disabilities. Although there has been a recent plethora of books about disability issues, ‘‘Persons with Disabilities’’ is unique in providing both depth and breadth, in a highly accessible format. This gives the reader the necessary background information to appreciate the well-informed concluding section, where leading experts and advocates in the US and UK reflect on the current state, and speculate on what the future holds. The authors begin with a focused, critical review of the difficulties in enumerating who has a disability, and the role of different conceptual models in framing this question. The review of factors that influence self-reporting, and how these factors inter-relate is especially valuable for researchers who contemplate population or workplace studies. The second chapter documents the magnitude and reasons for disparities in unemployment and poverty in