Introduction Those who are weak have great difficulty finding their place in our society. The image of the ideal human as powerful and capable disenfranchises the old, the sick, the less-abled. For me, society must, by definition, be inclusive of the needs and gifts of all its members. How can we lay claim to making an open and friendly society where human rights are respected and fostered when, by the values we teach and foster, we systematically exclude segments of our population? I believe that those we most often exclude from the normal life of society, people with disabilities, have profound lessons to teach us. When we do include them, they add richly to our lives and add immensely to our world. —Jean Vanier, Becoming Human According to the World Health Organization, “disability is part of the human condition. Almost everyone will be temporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life, and those who survive to old age will ­ experience increasing difficulties in functioning” (WHO, 2011, p. 3). The widespread presence of disability is awakening the growing recognition of this traditionally hidden human experience. Some disabling conditions are readily observable, but others such as cardiovascular conditions, pain, and psychological disorders can be invisible (Norstedt, 2019). People with disabilities have been historically stigmatized, marginalized, and excluded from full participation in their communities, neighborhoods, and from competitive employment. Their disabilities and perceived vul- nerability have sometimes made them the targets of bullying and crime. During the 1960s, along with the emerging civil rights movement, people with disabilities engaged in increased political action against oppressive and discriminatory practices. Along the lines of the Lesbian, gay, bisexual
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