Customer Reviews

Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment

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"The oppression of 500 million people with disabilities is rooted in the political-economic and cultural dime sions of everyday life", says James Charlton in Nothing About Us Without Us. Calling his book part descriptive, part conversational and wholly argumentative, the author observes how oppression and empowerment affect and change individuals and the community. Charlton's interviews with 45 international disability rights activists and his own observations as an activist recognize the essential theme of the disability rights movement: a demand for self control and conditions resulting from the lack of it. The author's threefold mission challenges existing epistomologies and ontologies of disability. With a close eye on Marxist theory, Charlton explains existing practices and suggests new foundations, structures and contexts in which to think about the relationships and conditions of oppression and resistance and to understand and support disability rights. Excellent

This is a well written, thoroughly researched work dealing with the treatment of disabled people in various cultures. The book explores the impact of religious institutions, charities, schools and various other institutions on how the disabled are treated. It also does a remarkable job of explaining how consciousness needs to change in order for progress to be made. It is an extremely thought provoking work which raises many issues. I recommend this book to anyone who may some day be disabled - which is any of us.

I'd thoroughly recommend this book. It provides a global overview of the disability rights movement, and includes interviews with many activists from different countries. I found it easy to read, and thoroughly interesting.

Even though America may be one of the world's most enlightened

countries when it comes to treating people with disabilities

with respect, we still have a very long way to go.

As proven in "Nothing About Us Without Us", the revealing

expose by James I. Charlton, so does the rest of the globe,

to varying degrees. Listen to the voices of people with

disabilities in different countries that carry the same

messages of fear, shame, discouragement, and even hope:

Maria Paulo Teperino: "There is a cult of the body in Brazil.

We call it 'culto ao corpo'. Machismo is very strong, and

it affects the way many men think of women. Because of its

prevalence, machismo leads many men to believe that a disabled

woman can't satisfy him. Many even believe that disabled women

cannot have children."

Fadila Lagadien: "In South Africa, families don't educate or

support the education of disabled women because of the attitude

that no man will pay a 'bola' (dowry) for a disabled woman."

Joshua Malinga: "I had an inborn attitude not to accept the

attitudes at the institution. These ideas were very bad. For

example, disabled people were told when to eat, when to sleep,

that they couldn't make love, it was banned...By the mid-1970's

I and a few others wanted to reject all these ideas and start our

own organization. By 1965, I began organizing disabled people

because I knew things were not right."

Charlton's book reveals the often-ignored truth that 'things are

not right' for people with disabilities all around the world.

Whether it's being called a 'chirema' for 'useless' in Africa

or being 'ai duan' (looked down upon because of your disability)

in Asia, if you have one, then good luck NOT being treated as a

second-class citizen or worse. Things are looking up, however...

Rachel Hurst: "I decided I had to do something. I quickly realized

that a single person never gets anywhere, so I tried to figure

out how I could do something collectively." --London, England

More and more people with disabilities are joining Rachel in

organizing to stand up and fight for the human rights that other

humans take for granted. After you read "Nothing About Us Without

Us", I sincerely hope you will want to join them in their just cause.

There are few books that can clarify the civil rights concepts and disability... This is one. I sat in a meeting of a government training program for Fair Housing investigations, and two of the lawyers/instructors as well as the Academy's Director stated that they do not need people with disabilities to be involved with the training or policy decision-making - now I give this book to persons who do not have a disability. What if we plan a celebration of women or Black History Month and only white males were invited?

RedGimp

I gave this as a gift to a family member who specializes in disability law and advocacy. She is familiar with local "family level" issues, as well as the national political arena. She said she liked it a lot.

The book Nothing About Us Without Us: Disability Oppression and Empowerment written by James I Charlton is profound. It really gives an insight to the history, psychosocial history of disabilities all around the world.

It is a profound book (very deep) and at times difficult for sensitive people like me but it is a must read book. I would like for the people in Puerto Rico to read this book to really comprehend the story behind the movement of Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The community of Persons with Disabilities in Puerto Rico need to comprehend deeply the situation that is going on even in Puerto Rico. The system provided in the territory of the United States does not work. On the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico the ADA Law is not enforce. I personally cannot wait until the Ammendment to the ADA Act of 2008 is pass by the Senate and finally signed by the President of the United States.

The "ADA Ammendment Act of 2008" was passed on the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly with 402 votes to 17 NAYS on June 26, 2008.