The Legal and Social Context of Disability

Abstract

Living within a family or in residential accommodation can be disabling for impaired people. In the wider context all impaired people are disabled to a greater or lesser degree by the society in which they live. The social model of disability suggests that impaired people in Britain may face educational disability, employment disability and economic disability, and it is perhaps somewhat ironic that some of the legal measures taken to combat such disadvantages actually further contribute to the disabling process. This chapter will focus upon some aspects of this relationship between disabled people and society and consider some of the possible intervention strategies for social workers. To begin with the discussion needs to be placed in the context of legislation relating to disability.