Disability studies: what's the point?
Colin Barnes (Plenary Speaker), Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds
Abstract
This presentation will focus on the development of 'disability studies' as a distinct area of enquiry since its introduction in the UK in 1992. Linking biography and history the author will provide a personal view of the forces that have shaped the current discipline from both outside and inside the academy prior to its inception in the 1990s. Particular attention will be placed on the origins of the socio-political redefinition of disability in the 1970s, the ensuing 'social model of disability', and their relationship to disability studies with particular emphasis on developments at the University of Leeds in terms of teaching and research. The presentation will draw attention to emergent issues and debates which have yet to be fully resolved if the discipline is to have a vibrant and credible future.