Disabling Pasts, Enabling Futures? How Does the Changing Nature of Capitalism Impact on the Disabled Worker and Jobseeker?

Alternative spaces of ‘work’ and inclusion for disabled people

“…This is especially true for disabled women; in Canada, disabled women were more than twice as likely to be in part-time work compared with disabled men (Tompa et al 2006). Conversely, disabled people are less likely to find work in those (expanding) sectors of the labour market that require flexible working patterns, long hours, multi-skilling and increased productivity; many disabled people are understandably reluctant to enter such an increasingly risk-based employment domain (Roulstone 2002). That disabled people are less likely to sustain employment beyond the first year (Burchardt 2000) reflects the poor experiences many report at work, notwithstanding the creative strategies employed by some to 'thrive and survive' (Roulstone et al 2003).…”

Living through exposure to toxic psychiatric orthodoxies: exploring narratives of people with ‘mental health problems’ who are looking for employment on the open labour market

“…We support recently emergent contentions and new ways of thinking about 'disability' presented by disability researchers and activists over the last decades, which locate much of 'the problem' in the surrounding environment, including societal structures, attitudes, mechanisms, relationships and institutions (Kristiansen, 1993;Van Hove & Roets, 2000). This includes the notions of some scholars who place 'disability' in an economic context and in the wider economic needs of materialism and capitalism (Oliver, 1996;Oliver & Barnes, 1998;Roulstone, 2002;Barnes & Mercer, 2003):…”

‘Away with the fairies?’ Disability within primary‐age children's literature

“…Evidence for this can be found in the literature that has emerged from within Disability Studies (Barnes and Mercer 2003), not least within the extensive catalogue of articles published within this journal (see, for example, Imrie 2003; Roulstone 2002). The role of the media, their portrayal of disability and the role that they play in terms of creating and reinforcing disabling attitudes has been, and continues to be investigated (Barnes 1992;Biklen and Bogdana 1977;Bolt 2005;Pointen and Davis 1997;Titchkosky 2005).…”