1. Sociology 111 Fall 2008

2. Glaring lack of sociological research  Social inequality and social justice are central to the discipline of society  Yet, the social lives of people with disabilities have largely been ignored by sociologists

3. Implications  Lack of understanding about how people with disabilities construct their worldviews and identities  Unable to analyze the challenges people with disabilities have interacting within society  Do not fully have a complete picture of the challenges able-bodied people have interacting w/people with disabilities  Which means we are unable to address social justice issues fully

4. Wide range of disabilities Physical, genetic, emotional, neurological/developmental Mild to profound  Eyesight and hearing disabilities  Mobility disabilities  Cognitive disabilities  Multiple disabilities  Learning disability that makes reading difficult  Mobility with the assistance of a wheelchair  Profound mental retardation that makes simple tasks nearly impossible without assistance

5. Mild disabilities  May be imperceptible to observers and even close friends  Early intervention is key to mitigating effects of mild disabilities  Dyslexia was often mistaken for mild to moderate mental retardation  Most people with mild to moderate disabilities can lead independent lives

6. Severe and profound disabilities  Often appear as multiple disabilities  Cerebral palsy with moderate mental retardation and deafness  Autism with psychosis and OCD  Generally unable to live independently  With assistance and proper intervention can successfully participate in society

7. Frames and Framing  Frames are cognitive structures that guide our perception and understanding of phenomena  How we frame groups or social phenomena is related to how we feel towards them and behave towards them