Disability Studies Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering key concepts and mnemonics from a lecture on disability, poverty, and justice.

Yeo & Moore

Cycle of Disability and Poverty; disability and poverty go up and down in a loop. Poverty leads to impairment, exclusion, and more poverty.

Mont

Extra Costs of Disability; disabled people have higher living costs which are understated by standard poverty measures.

Alkire & Foster

Multidimensional Poverty; Look beyond money and include education, health, and social participation when measuring poverty for PWDs.

Rawls

Theory of Justice / Primary Goods; Justice means equal rights and goods for everyone, but assumes people are 'normal' and doesn’t work well for disability.

Sen

Capability Approach; Justice is the real freedom to do and be what matters to you. Disability limits capabilities if society doesn’t accommodate.

Nussbaum

Functional Diversity and Capabilities; Argues that impairments don’t have to be disabling in a fair society. Justice is making sure everyone can live with dignity.

Ameri et al.

Audit Study of Hiring Discrimination; disabled applicants got fewer callbacks, showing statistical discrimination, even from employers with inclusive policies.

Kuper et al.

Tanzania & Social Protection Exclusion; PWDs were excluded from programs meant to help them. Barriers include stigma, bad design, inaccessible systems.

Chaudhry

Microfinance & Disabled Women in India; Critiques microfinance as neoliberal, gendered, and exclusionary, leaving out disabled women due to gender norms and assumptions about productivity.

Hamraie

Universal Design & Crip Technoscience; Universal Design claims to serve all, but centers able-bodied users. Calls for disabled-led design (crip technoscience).

Capability Approach

Focuses on real-life ability to function, not just what you’re given. Argues that justice = real opportunity, not just theoretical rights.

DALYs (Disability-Adjusted Life Years)

Measures lost years of “healthy” life, assuming disability is a burden. Critiqued for medicalizing disability.

Multidimensional Poverty

Looks at education, health, participation — not just income. Better at showing real deprivation of PWDs.

Statistical Discrimination

Employers use group averages, assuming disabled people are less productive. Explains hidden bias in hiring or services.

Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR)

Local, inclusive, participatory, and not top-down aid. Focuses on grassroots empowerment.

Crip Technoscience

Disabled people innovate for themselves and are not just passive users. Access is relational, political, and creative.