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The Disability Rights Movement: A Critical Analysis of Values, Cultural Differences and Legislation in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom
Abstract
Disability rights have emerged and evolved dramatically in the last thirty years or so. Many groups and individuals have worked to challenge traditional medical understandings of disability and to raise awareness of societal issues and barriers. In this paper I examine the evolution of disability rights in three countries, The US, Canada and the UK. I argue that differences in values and culture have influenced the development of anti-discrimination legislation for people with disabilities. Information was gathered from an extensive literature review and from interviews with disability rights scholars and academics from each of the three countries. Findings show that the Disability Rights Movement in the US has been influenced by traditional values of individualism and political freedom and a culture of civil rights. In Canada, by collectivism and a history of cultural group rights, and in the UK by values of economics and personal responsibility within a culture that believes some are more worthy than others.
Submitted by
Katrina Milaney;
Email: kmilaney@ucalgary.ca
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