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This paper will argue that the politics of disability has, so far, been narrowly conceived as pan of the processes of parry and pressure group activity. These approaches will be examined critically and it will be suggested that they are unlikely to produce substantial political gains in terms of ensuring the till participation of disabled people in society or contribute significantly to improving the quality of their lives. Finally, it will be argued that the politics of disability can only be properly understood as pan of the newly emergent social movements of all kinds and it is only within this context that their real significance can be grasped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an 'insider' view and suggests that organised self-help has a role to play in improving the quality of the lives of disabled people. Through a discussion of the work of the Spinal Injuries Associations, is shows the kinds of services that can be provided, controlled and run by disabled people themselves. Finally, it considers the implications of the self-help approach for the work of professionals and suggests that such an approach should be seen as complementary to medical and administrative approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the authors consider important issue of disabled people undertaking disability research. Over the last decade or so market forces have played an increasingly important role in research generally, and disability research is no exception. The insidious and apparently unstoppable commercialization of research has meant that competition for research contracts has intensified considerably. In such a climate the economics of the research process play an ever increasing role in determining who is able to do disability research and who is not, as well as what kinds of disability research is funded. In Great Britain, the vast majority of disability research is funded by four main players, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Department of Health, the Department of Social Security and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Most of the research they fund takes place within the research establishment, academia, large commercial research organizations and the like, and as such it is largely outside the influence, let alone the control of disabled people and their organizations.