Disability and Samoa

Synonyms

Citizenship belonging; Global disability; Health; Illness; Schools

Introduction

Certainly not all disabilities are the same, and societal reactions vary greatly from one disability to another. Likewise, disability is defined in various ways, depending on who is defining the term and for what purpose (Taylor 2001). In the US context, it is only since the last century that society used disability to socially construct or refer to a distinct class of people. Historically, disability has been used as a cover for inability and as a reference to legally impose limitations on rights and power dynamics. The genealogies of understanding bodies with disabilities as “broken” are greatly influenced by the medical approach to disability. Such approach holds that disability results from an individual person’s physical or mental limitations and is largely unconnected to the social or geographical environments. Whereas, the social model views disability as a consequence of environmental,...