Abstract
This chapter describes the importance of supporting all people, particularly those with disabilities and others who are marginalized in society, to have the opportunities, resources, and supports to act as causal agents over their lives, experiencing agency in ways consistent with their beliefs, values, and community. Shifts from deficit-based understandings of disability to strengths-based, social-ecological models that allow for a greater focus on self-determination are described, although the pervasive and ongoing negative impacts of deficit-based understandings of disability throughout society are highlighted. A social-ecological approach to disability provides a framework for advancing change by understanding the relationship between personal competencies and environmental demands and how the interaction of these factors creates support needs that can be addressed through systemic changes and changes in personalized supports. The role of positive psychology in advancing strengths-based approaches to address support needs is reviewed. Ways to advance a focus on building comprehensive systems of supports that challenge deficit-based approaches and address each person with (and without) a disability’s support needs to promote equitable, inclusive, and self-determined outcomes are introduced.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Blanck, P. (2016). Introduction to the special issue: ADA at 25 and people with cognitive disabilities: From action to inclusion. Inclusion, 4(1), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1352/2326-6988-4.1.1
Blanck, P. (2017). eQuality: The right to the web. In P. Blanck & E. Flynn (Eds.), Routledge handbook of disability law and human rights. Taylor & Francis Group.
Blanck, P., Waterstone, M., Myhill, N., & Siegal, C. (2014). Disability civil rights law and policy: Case and materials. West Publishers.
Charlton, J. I. (2000). Nothing about us without us: Disability oppression and empowerment. University of California Press.
Hart, K. E., & Sasso, T. (2011). Mapping the contours of contemporary positive psychology. Canadian Psychology, 52(2), 82–92. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023118
Hewitt, A., & Nye-Lengerman, K. (Eds.). (2019). Community living and participation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Kurth, J. A., Morningstar, M. E., & Kozleski, E. B. (2014). The persistence of highly restrictive special education placements for students with low-incidence disabilities. Research and Practive for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 39(3), 227–239. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796914555580
Linley, A. P., Joseph, S., Harrington, S., & Wood, A. (2006). Positive psychology: Past, present and (possible) future. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760500372796
Luckasson, R., Borthwick-Duffy, S., Buntinx, W. H. E., Coulter, D. L., Craig, E. P. M., Reeve, A., Schalock, R. L., Snell, M. E., Spitalnik, D. M., Spreat, S., & Tasse, M. J. (2002). In 10th (Ed.), Mental retardation: Definition, classification, and systems of support. American Association on Mental Retardation.
Schalock, R. L., Luckasson, R. A., Shogren, K. A. W., Borthwick-Duffy, S., Bradley, V., Buntix, W. H. E., Coulter, D. L., Craig, E. P. M., Gomez, S. C., Lachapelle, Y., Reeve, A., Snell, M. E., Spreat, S., Tasse, M. J., Thompson, J. R., Verdugo, M. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., & Yeager, M. H. (2007). The remaining of mental retardation: Understanding the change to the term intellectual disability. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 45(2), 116–124. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556(2007)45[116:TROMRU]2.0.CO;2
Schalock, R. L., Borthwick-Duffy, S., Bradley, V., Buntix, W. H. E., Coulter, D. L., Craig, E. P. M., Gomez, S. C., Lachapelle, Y., Luckasson, R. A., Reeve, A., Shogren, K. A., Snell, M. E., Spreat, S., Tasse, M. J., Thompson, J. R., Verdugo, M. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., & Yeager, M. H. (2010). Intellectual disability: Definition, classification, and systems of support (11th ed.). American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Seligman, M. E. P. (1998). Building human strength: Psychology’s forgotten mission. APA Monitor, 29(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1037/e529932010-003
Seligman, M. E. P. (1999). The president’s address. American Psychologist, 54, 559–562.
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55, 5–14.
Shogren, K. A. (2013). A social-ecological analysis of the self-determination literature. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 51(6), 496–511. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-51.6.496
Shogren, K. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., Pressgrove, C. L., & Lopez, S. J. (2006). The application of positive psychology and self-determination to research in intellectual disability: A content analysis of 30 years of literature. Research and Practive for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 31(4), 338–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/154079690603100408
Shogren, K. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., & Singh, N. N. (Eds.). (2017). Handbook of positive psychology in intellectual and developmental disabilities: Translating research into practice. Springer.
Shogren, K. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., Martinis, J., & Blanck, P. (2019). Supported decision-making: Theory, research and practice to enhance self-determination and quality of life. Cambridge University Press.
Shogren, K. A., Luckasson, R., & Schalock, R. L. (2020). Using a multidimensional model to analyze context and enhance personal outcomes. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 58, 95–110. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-58.2.95
Thompson, J. R., Bradley, V., Buntinx, W. H. E., Schalock, R. L., Shogren, K. A., Snell, M. E., Wehmeyer, M. L., Borthwick-Duffy, S., Coulter, D. L., Craig, E. P. M., Gomez, S., Lachapelle, Y., Luckasson, R. A., Reeve, A., Spreat, S., Tasse, M. J., Verdugo, M. A., & Yeager, M. H. (2009). Conceptualizing supports and the support needs of people with intellectual disability. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 47(2), 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-47.2.135
Thompson, J. R., Bryant, B. R., Schalock, R. L., Shogren, K. A., Tasse, M. J., Wehmeyer, M. L., Campbell, E. M., Craig, E. P. M., Hughes, C. M., Rotholz, D. A., & Silverman, W. P. (2015). Supports intensity scale-adult (SIS-A). Users manual. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Thompson, J. R., Wehmeyer, M. L., Hughes, C., Shogren, K. A., Seo, H., Little, T. D., Copeland, S., Ombreski, S., Patton, J. R., Polloway, E., Realon, R. E., Schalock, R. L., Shelden, D., & Tassé, M. J. (2016). Supports intensity scale—Children’s version users manual. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Turnbull, H. R., Shogren, K. A., & Turnbull, A. P. (2011). Evolution of the parent movement: Past, present, and future. In J. M. Kauffman & D. P. Hallahan (Eds.), Handbook of special education (pp. 639–653). Routledge.
United Nations. (2006). Convention on the rights of persons with disability. http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?navid=14&pid=150
Ward, M. J. (1996). Coming of age in the age of self-determination: A historical and personal perspective. In D. J. Sands & M. L. Wehmeyer (Eds.), Self-determination across the life span: Independence and choice for people with disabilities. Paul H. Brookes.
Wehmeyer, M. L. (Ed.). (2013a). The Oxford handbook of positive psychology and disability. Oxford University Press.
Wehmeyer, M. L. (2013b). The story of intellectual disability. Paul H. Brookes.
Wehmeyer, M. L., Bersani, H., & Gagne, R. (2000). Riding the third wave: Self-determination and self-advocacy in the 21st century. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 15(2), 106–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/108835760001500206
World Health Organization. (2001). International classification of functioning, disability, and health. https://www.who.int/standards/classifications/international-classification-of-functioning-disability-and-health
World Health Organization. (2007). International classification of functioning, disability and health: Children and youth version. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43737
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Shogren, K.A., Raley, S.K. (2022). Positive Psychology and Disability: Creating a Context for Self-Determination. In: Self-Determination and Causal Agency Theory. Positive Psychology and Disability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04260-7_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04260-7_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-04259-1
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-04260-7
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)