New Encyclopedia Announcement: "Disability in American Life: An Encyclopedia of Concepts, Policies, and Controversies." (IL UCEDD/LEND)

January 4, 2019

This encyclopedia is edited by Illinois UCEDD faculty Tamar Heller, Sarah Parker Harris, Carol Gill, and Rob Gould. This exciting new publication includes entries by faculty and trainees throughout the network as well as other noted scholars in disabilities across many disciplines. The forward to the encyclopedia was written by AUCD Executive Director Andy Imparato. Once primarily thought of as a medical issue, disability is now more widely recognized as a critical issue of identity, personhood, and social justice.

By discussing challenges confronting people with disabilities and their families and by collecting numerous accounts of disability experiences, these two volumes firmly situate disability within broader social movements, policy, and areas of marginalization, providing a critical examination into the lived experiences of people with disabilities and how disability can affect identity.

This is the first text that offers an interdisciplinary approach to disability in America, covering cutting edge topics that appeal to high school, college, and lay audiences. It is an all-encompassing text that includes research, diverse disability experiences, policy analysis, arts and culture, and vignettes of important figures in disability as well as original texts. Furthermore, this volume addresses complex problems and controversies about disability, and discusses them in a plain language format accessible to a wide audience. For more information, please visit https://books.google.com/books?id=MgZ6DwAAQBAJ&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s.