Disability as a social construct: the labelling approach revisited

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Theories of labelling have been quite influential in forming the ideological basis for ‘non‐labelling’ policies such as integration and normalization. But the ideological use of such theories often seem to disregard some of the basic insights of those theories. This neglect results in an over‐optimistic attitude towards what can be achieved through ‘non‐labelling’ policies. In this article the fallacies of the ‘non‐labelling’ approach are identified, and the relation between the resulting ideology and structural changes within service structures are discussed. Finally, the need for more analytical and less normative research, true to the basic assumptions of the theoretical insights, are pointed out.