• 360 pages
  • 7 x 10
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  • Price: $35.95
  • EAN: 9781439907443
  • Publication: Jun 2011
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  • EAN: 9781439907436
  • Publication: Jun 2011
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  • EAN: 9781439907450
  • Publication: Jun 2011
Subjects

The Disability Rights Movement

From Charity to Confrontation

Doris Zames Fleischer and Frieda Zames
  • Frieda Zames is the recipient of the Eileen Healy Public Service Award, 2003

In this updated edition, Doris Zames Fleischer and Frieda Zames expand their encyclopedic history of the struggle for disability rights in the United States, bringing us up to date with the past ten years of disability rights activism. The Disability Rights Movement includes a new chapter on the evolving impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the continuing struggle for cross-disability civil and human rights, and the changing perceptions of disability. The authors provide a probing analysis of such topics as deinstitutionalization, housing, health care, assisted suicide, employment, education, new technologies, disabled veterans, and disability culture. Based on interviews with over one hundred activists, The Disability Rights Movement tells a complex and compelling story of an ongoing movement that seeks to create an equitable and diverse society, inclusive of people with disabilities.

Reviews

"More than a history, The Disability Rights Movement documents the wrenching evolution of attitudes: From isolation and charity to confrontation and rights; from sheltered workshops to independent living; from telethons of pity to technology's power; from 'cripples' and 'invalids' to People with disabilities! Comprehensive and well-written, Fleischer and Zames capture the substance and spirit of the disability rights movement and bring it to life." —Frederick A. Fay, Ph.D., Chair, Justice for All, and disability rights advocate for four decades

"Doris Zames Fleischer and Frieda Zames take the reader on a guided tour through the still-brief history of the Disability Rights Movement, and they draw upon many first-person accounts to enrich the narrative. Although I was 'present at the creation' of much of this, I still learned a great deal. A unique feature of this book is the first-hand recounting of the remarkable work of the Disabled in Action (DIA) of New York. This group never gave up in their struggle to make the nation's biggest city accessible, despite enormous odds and powerful political opposition. Their story alone is worth the price of this book." —Frank G. Bowe, Ph.D., Professor, Hofstra University, and author of Physical, Sensory and Health Disabilities

"Frieda Zames and Doris Zames Fleischer have crafted the most comprehensive history of the disability rights movement to date. Many firsthand sources and never-before-published interviews make this a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the roots of today's most pressing disability rights issues." —Mary Johnson, Editor, Ragged EDGE

"This eye-opening work...offers one of the first thorough histories of a movement for civil rights that has profoundly changed America. ... A fascinating book." —The Sacramento Bee

"Here at last is a book about our civil rights movement written by one of us: Frieda Zames, a polio survivor and activist....The Disability Rights Movement stands out for its insiders' point of view and the sheer thoroughness of ground covered. ...the authors turn what could have been a rather dry historical book into one that absolutely compels us to read on. They accomplish this not only through meticulous research, but also through their inclusion of information and opinions gleaned from interviews with movement leaders and other people whose lives have been directly affected. ...(the book) is far more than just a history book. It's a cautionary tale of rights won and now in jeopardy. It's a tale of a people who have won some legal battles but still face mass discrimination each day. ... It is an excellent beginning..." —Sally Rosenthal, Ragged Edge

"Fleischer and Zames offer an encyclopedic treatment of the development of the disability rights movement...(They) provide a useful starting point for inquiries into a plethora of disability rights issues." —New Political Science

"...the book plays a unique role in the literature on the disability movement because it is forward looking as well as historical in its approach. It is also extraordinarily well researched across a wide range of domains and contains a good bit of thoughtful analysis..." —Social Service Review

"Fleischer and Zames's text deserves the label 'comprehensive history,' and it is a significant contribution to the literature of Disability Studies." —Argumentation and Advocacy

"...an excellent primer on a wide variety of current disability issues..." —Psychiatric Services

"Fleischer and Zames' concise and elegant overview of the current state of the disability rights movement...fills a huge void in the literature and hopefully will provoke greater examination of the issues at stake." —Socialism and Democracy

"...makes an impressive contribution to the understanding of how social movements arise, organize and effectively address entrenched challenges of discrimination and social injustice.... the book is readable and engaging. It should be consulted by anyone interested in knowing how people who are discriminated against can overcome and bring about substantive social change." —Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare

About the Author(s)

Doris Zames Fleischer, a full-time member of the Department of Humanities at New Jersey Institute of Technology since 1988, has written and lectured widely on issues related to disability rights.

The late Frieda Zames, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at New Jersey Institute of Technology, was a much honored pioneer in securing rights for people with disabilities.