Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation [Paperback]

Doris Fleischer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2000 | ISBN-10: 1566398126 | ISBN-13: 978-1566398121

Based on interviews with almost a hundred activists, this book provides a detailed history of the struggle for disability rights in the United States. It is a complex story of shifts in consciousness and shifts in policy, of changing focuses on particular disabilities such as blindness, deafness, polio, quadriplegia, psychiatric and developmental disabilities, chronic conditions (for example, cancer and heart disease), AIDS, and of activism and policymaking across disabilities. Referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act as 'every American's insurance policy', the authors recount the genesis of this civil rights approach to disability, from the almost forgotten disability activism of the 1930s, to the independent living movement of the 1970s, to the call for disability pride of the 1990s.Like other civil rights struggles, the disability rights movement took place in the streets and in the courts as activists fought for change in the schools, the workplace, and in the legal system. They continue to fight for effective access to the necessities of everyday life to telephones, buses, planes, public buildings, restaurants, and toilets. The history of disability rights mirrors the history of the country. Each World War sparked changes in disability policy and changes in medical technology as veterans without limbs and with other disabilities returned home. The empowerment of people with disabilities has become another chapter in the struggles over identity politics that began in the 1960s. Today, with the expanding ability of people with disabilities to enter the workforce and a growing elderly population, issues like longterm care are becoming increasingly significant at a time when HMOs are trying to contain health care expenditures.Author note: Doris Zames Fleischer has been a member of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department at New Jersey Institute of Technology since 1988. Frieda Zames, Associate Professor of Mathematics Emeritus at New Jersey Institute of Technology, has been a disability rights activist for over twenty-five years. Both sisters live in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Fleischer (humanities and social sciences, New Jersey Inst. of Technology) and disability rights activist Zames (emeritus, mathematics, New Jersey Inst. of Technology) conducted close to 100 interviews to compile the research for this study on the disability rights movement in the United States. The book takes a historical look at the social context of the rights of the vast number of Americans who are disabled and the ever-evolving attitude toward them, from the time of Franklin Roosevelt to today. Also addressed are the multiple aspects of disability, with updated information about the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and a detailed chronology dating back to 1817. This work is geared toward the research needs of college students and would be a useful addition to academic libraries wanting an overall study on the subject. Monica Maldonado Doman, Cypress Coll. Lib., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"More than a history, The Disability Rights Movement documents the wrenching evolution of attitudes: From isolation and charity to confrontation and rights; from sheltered workshops to independent living; from telethons of pity to technology's power; from 'cripples' and 'invalids' to People with disabilities! Comprehensive and well-written, Fleischer and Zames capture the substance and spirit of the disability rights movement and bring it to life." --Frederick A. Fay, Ph.D., Chair, Justice for All, and disability rights advocate for four decades "Doris Zames Fleischer and Frieda Zames take the reader on a guided tour through the still-brief history of the Disability Rights Movement, and they draw upon many first-person accounts to enrich the narrative. Although I was 'present at the creation' of much of this, I still learned a great deal. A unique feature of this book is the first-hand recounting of the remarkable work of the Disabled in Action (DIA) of New York. This group never gave up in their struggle to make the nation's biggest city accessible, despite enormous odds and powerful political opposition. Their story alone is worth the price of this book." --Frank G. Bowe, Ph.D., Professor, Hofstra University, and author of Physical, Sensory and Health Disabilities "Frieda Zames and Doris Zames Fleischer have crafted the most comprehensive history of the disability rights movement to date. Many firsthand sources and never-before-published interviews make this a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the roots of today's most pressing disability rights issues." --Mary Johnson, Editor, Ragged EDGE "This eye-opening work...offers one of the first thorough histories of a movement for civil rights that has profoundly changed America. ... A fascinating book." --The Sacramento Bee (online) "Here at last is a book about our civil rights movement written by one of us: Frieda Zames, a polio survivor and activist...The Disability Rights Movement stands out for its insiders' point of view and the sheer thoroughness of ground covered. ...the authors turn what could have been a rather dry historical book into one that absolutely compels us to read on. They accomplish this not only through meticulous research, but also through their inclusion of information and opinions gleaned from interviews with movement leaders and other people whose lives have been directly affected. ...[the book] is far more than just a history book. It's a cautionary tale of rights won and now in jeopardy. It's a tale of a people who have won some legal battles but still face mass discrimination each day. ... It is an excellent beginning..." --Sally Rosenthal "Fleischer and Zames offer an encyclopedic treatment of the development of the disability rights movement...[They] provide a useful starting point for inquiries into a plethora of disability rights issues." --New Political Science

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (December 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566398126
• ISBN-13: 978-1566398121
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #970,378 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disability Rights Are Everyone's Rights, June 29, 2001

By 

ALAN VANDEKOP (LEON, IA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation (Paperback)

Unlike race or other minority groups, anyone can potentially become victims of this type of discrimination at some point in their lives, as I have learned. Anyone can understand the heroic action of someone like Rosa Parks who refused to be put in the back of a bus, but can you imagine not being allowed to ride a bus at all? These rights were not given. They were the result of individuals of equal heroism and the movement described in this book. It seems until you have experienced discrimination you can't understand it. The disabled live in a different world. Many care, many think they care and many don't understand at least until it happens to themselves or someone they love, so it is important for everyone in our soceity to make the effort to understand this reality so many quietly experience.

We have a mythology in this country. Most working people actually believe the government, their fellow citizens, will somehow protect and support them if they truly need it, although they also probably believe they are invulnerable to such a need. In my own experience, it took three years to earn the right to live in isolation and poverty, and endured homelessness while waiting for someone simply to listen, but was not allowed to keep my job or even try. I was told that I couldn't receive unemployment because I was disabled and by the same government and at the same time couldn't receive disability because I could work.

These basic human rights and freedoms are constantly under challenge. Our Supreme Court, who we expect to be the defenders of liberty, has undermined these vital efforts and the media seems to be a happy participant in spreading stories like the color-blind traffic light installer abusing the ADA, while simpler stories of individuals who want to work doesn't seem worthy of public discussion. Our nation is a diverse one. That should be our strength, yet in more homogeneous cultures such as in Europe, there seems to be less resistance to the basic hallmarks of humanity, the desire to not always be selfish and to know that there is a greater good that benefits all. This book is an important part of that desire.

5.0 out of 5 stars book for class, April 1, 2010

By 

Kimberley Ryan - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Disability Rights Movement: From Charity to Confrontation (Paperback)

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars bc I learned so much and I loved it