Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

`The strengths of this text are many. It has breadth and diversity in its content yet is presented in bite-size chapters. For those wishing to know more, it offers signposts to the relevant literature. The contributors have been carefully selected for their specific perspective yet these have been skilfully inter-related by the editors. It is now some 11 years since the first edition of this text was published. In my view, this second edition was worth the wait′ - SCOLAG Journal

`This has been a ground-breaking book...and I whole-heartedly welcome a new edition′- Professor Len Barton, School of Education, The University of Sheffield

`It is a really well-structured book which has been very popular and widely used by students...Its great qualities are accessibility and diversity of contributors′ -

Jenny Corbett, Institute of Education, University of London

`This book would be a valuable resource to students of disability studies and to health and social care staff and other professionals who work with disabled people′- Disability and Rehabilitation

The Second Edition of this landmark text has been revised to provide an up-to-date accessible introductory text to the field of disability studies. In addition to analysing the barriers that disabled people encounter in education, housing, leisure and employment, the revised edition has new chapters on:

· international issues

· diversity among disabled people

· sexuality

· bioethics.

Written by disabled people who are leading academics in the field, the text comprises 45 short and engaging chapters, to provide a broad-ranging and accessible introduction to disability issues.

Disabling Barriers, Enabling Environments is an invaluable resource for both students and practitioners alike. It is an ideal text for undergraduates and postgraduates taking courses in disability studies, as well as disability courses in social work, education, health studies, sociology and social policy.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction
• Part 1 Perspectives of Disability and Impairment
• If I Had a Hammer
• The Social Model in Action
• Representing Disability
• Disability and Impairment
• Disability, Disability Studies and the Academy
• Whose Tragedy? Towards a Personal Non-tragedy View of Disability
• Dependence, Independence and Normality
• Reflections on Doing Emancipatory Disability Research
• International Perspectives on Disability
• Part 2 In Our Own Image
• Disability and The Body
• Women and Disability
• Men and Disability
• 'Can You See The Rainbow?' The Roots of Denial
• Impairment, Difference and 'Identity'
• Generating Debates
• Why We Need a Life Course Approach to Disability Issues
• The Changing Face of Representation of Disability in the Media
• Disability Culture
• The Story so Far
• 'Race', Disability and Oppression
• Who is Disabled? Exploring the Scope of the Social Model of Disability
• Disabled People, Disability and Sexuality
• Part 3 Controlling Lifestyles
• Righting the Picture
• Disability and Family Life
• Disability and Childhood
• Deconstructing the Stereotypes
• Housing and Independent Living
• Changing Technology
• Communication Barriers
• Building Access and Identity
• Controlling Inclusion in Education
• Young Disabled People's Perspectives
• User-led Organisations
• Facilitating Independent Living
• Leisure and Disabled People
• Disability and Ageing
• Employment Barriers and Inclusive Futures?
• Part 4 In Charge of Support and Health
• The Crafting of Good Clients
• Modernising Services?
• Disabled Health and Caring Professionals
• The Experience of Visually Impaired Physiotherapists
• Direct Payments
• Disability, Care and Controlling Services
• Counselling and Disabled People
• Help or Hindrance?
• A Critique of Professional Support and Intervention
• Treatment at the Hands of Professionals
• Diagnosis and Assessment in the Lives of Disabled People
• Creating Potentials/Limiting Possibilities?
• Tragedy Strikes Again! Why Community Care Still Poses a Problem for Integrated Living
• The Global Economy of 'Care'
• Part 5 Creating A Society Fit for All
• Disability and Socail Exclusion in the Information Society
• From Universal to Inclusive Design in the Built Environment
• The Disablity Movement
• Some Observations
• Genetics, Disability and Bioethics
• Legislation and Human Rights

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Paul Abberley is an Associate Lecturer for the Open University
Colin Barnes is Professor of Disability Studies at the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds
Martin Banton is a black disabled trainer in Disability Equality and Race and Disability. He is currently undertaking a Social Work degree at the University of Coventry
Len Barton is professor of Inclusive Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. He is the founder and editor of Disability and Society
Peter Beresford is Professor of Social Policy and Director of the Centre for Citizen Participation at Brunel University
Selina Bonnie has a Master's Degree in Disability Studies from the University of Leeds
Helen Caplan is a freelance trainer and lecturer in disability issues and applied ethics
Liz Carr is a disabled woman from Nottingham. She is a founding member of Nasty Girls, the Disabled and Deaf Women's Comedy Group
Paul Anthony Darke is a disabled writer and creator who works in collaboration with Marie Claire Darke, Walker Darke and Ann Whitehurst
Ken Davis played a leading role in the early organisational development of the disabled people's movement at national and at local level in Derbyshire
John M. Davis is co-ordinator of a BA course in Childhood Studies at the University of Edinburgh
Vic Finkelstein is a retired lecturer at the Open University
Sally French is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Health and Human Science at the University of Hertfordshire and an Associate Lecturer at the Open University
Maureen Gillman is Principal Lecturer and Programme Director for post-qualifying social work education at Northumbria University
Colin Goble is a Senior Lecturer in Learning Disability Nursing in the School of Health and Social Care at the University of Greenwich
Dan Goodley is a Reader in Applied Disability Studies in the School of Education at the University of Sheffield
Frances Hasler is Chief Executive of the National Centre of Independent Living
Alan Hewitt is the Working Together Co-ordinator at Connect
Chris Holden is a Lecturer in Social Policy at Brunel University
Bill Hughes is head of the Division of Social Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University
Rachel Hurst is the Director of Disability Awareness and Action
Rob Imrie is Professor of Human Geography at Royal Holloway College, University of London
Ann MacFarlane is a leading Disability Rights and Equality Consultant, Trainer and Researcher
Geoffrey Mercer is a member of the Centre for Disability Studies in the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Leeds
Mike Oliver is Emeritus Professor of Disability Studies in the Department of Sociology at the University of Greenwich
Carole Pound is Director of Therapy and Education at Connect
Mark Priestley is a Lecturer in disability studies at the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds
Donna Reeve is a post-graduate research student in the Department of Applied Social Science at Lancaster University
Steve Robertson is an NHS Research Fellowship student at the Institute of Health Research at Lancaster University
Alan Roulstone is Reader in Disability Policy at the University of Sunderland
Bob Sapey is a lecturer at Lancaster University
Mairian Scott-Hill is a self-employed writer and editor and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at King's College, London
Alison Sheldon is currently working as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Disability Studies at the University of Leeds
Gurnam Singh is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work at Coventry University
John Stewart is Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and a Social Work Tutor at Lancaster University
John Swain is Professor of Disability and Inclusion at Northumbria University
Carol Thomas is a Senior Lecturer in the Institute for Health Research at Lancaster University
Sian Vasey is the director of Ealing Centre for Independent Living
Michele Wates is a researcher, writer and disabled parent. She is based at the National Centre for Disabled Parents