Len Barton

First published in 1992. For disabled people and people with learning difficulties the transition from school to college, work or training can be stressful and frustrating; job choices are often restricted, and they face barriers which are beyond their control. This book is about their struggle for choice. It sets special needs in further education in a socio-political context. By exploring the concept of ‘transition to adulthood’ in terms of class, race, gender and disability differences, and relating it to social, economic and political influences, it seeks to challenge complacency and encourage dialogue and debate.

First published in 1992. For disabled people and people with learning difficulties the transition from school to college, work or training can be stressful and frustrating; job choices are often restricted, and they face barriers which are beyond their control. This book is about their struggle for choice. It sets special needs in further education in a socio-political context. By exploring the concept of ‘transition to adulthood’ in terms of class, race, gender and disability differences, and relating it to social, economic and political influences, it seeks to challenge complacency and encourage dialogue and debate.

The study of disability has traditionally been influenced mainly by medical and psychological models. The aim of this new text, Disability and Society, is to open up the debate by introducing alternative perspectives reflecting the increasing sociological interest in this important topic.Disability and Society brings together for the first time some of the most recent original research in this rapidly expanding area. The contributors, both disabled and non-disabled, are all leading thinkers in their field and suggest new ways of understanding disability, developing policy and challenging current practice.

First published in 2000. This book looks at 'inclusive' education in the context of policy and practice in a number of different countries, particularly in relation to children and young people of school age. At the heart of the idea of inclusive education lie serious issues concerning 'human rights', 'equal opportunities' and 'social justice'. The papers in this book will, hopefully, contribute to stimulating further debate and dialogue over both the conceptualisation and understanding of a cross-cultural approach to inclusion and exclusion.

First published in 1983, Gender, Class and Education is a collection of papers that formed presentations at the Westhill Sociology of Education Conference in January 1982, and is the fifth such collection to emerge from the annual conference. The conference theme, ‘Race, Class and Gender’, was not only chosen because of its topicality, but also to provide a framework for debate between educational researchers and teachers. The papers focus on the reproduction of gender relations through education and provide important insights into how this process works, how it is resisted in schools and colleges, and the possibilities for radical intervention. This volume includes three teaching bibliographies on gender and education which were not presented at the conference, but were compiled specially for the book.

First published in 1983, Gender, Class and Education is a collection of papers that formed presentations at the Westhill Sociology of Education Conference in January 1982, and is the fifth such collection to emerge from the annual conference. The conference theme, ‘Race, Class and Gender’, was not only chosen because of its topicality, but also to provide a framework for debate between educational researchers and teachers. The papers focus on the reproduction of gender relations through education and provide important insights into how this process works, how it is resisted in schools and colleges, and the possibilities for radical intervention. This volume includes three teaching bibliographies on gender and education which were not presented at the conference, but were compiled specially for the book.

This book provides a valuable route map to the development of thinking in disability studies over the last eighteen years. It includes over twenty essential articles from the journal Disability and Society, written by many of the leading authors in the field from the UK, the USA, Australia and Europe. Compiled by the current editors of the journal, it is divided into three sections which mirror the three central themes: disability studies – clearly illustrates the debates and challenges that have emerged within the field over the last two decades policy – offers a snapshot of social policy that has impinged on the lives of disabled people in many parts of the world research issues – reveals the inequalities between disabled and non-disabled people and the advocacy of new methods and research practices. The editors’ specially written introduction to each section contextualises the selection and introduces students to the main issues and current thinking in the field. Altogether this book is a rich source of ideas and insights covering conceptual, theoretical, empirical and cross-cultural issues and questions.

This book provides a valuable route map to the development of thinking in disability studies over the last eighteen years. It includes over twenty essential articles from the journal Disability and Society, written by many of the leading authors in the field from the UK, the USA, Australia and Europe. Compiled by the current editors of the journal, it is divided into three sections which mirror the three central themes: disability studies – clearly illustrates the debates and challenges that have emerged within the field over the last two decades policy – offers a snapshot of social policy that has impinged on the lives of disabled people in many parts of the world research issues – reveals the inequalities between disabled and non-disabled people and the advocacy of new methods and research practices. The editors’ specially written introduction to each section contextualises the selection and introduces students to the main issues and current thinking in the field. Altogether this book is a rich source of ideas and insights covering conceptual, theoretical, empirical and cross-cultural issues and questions.

First published in 2000. This book looks at 'inclusive' education in the context of policy and practice in a number of different countries, particularly in relation to children and young people of school age. At the heart of the idea of inclusive education lie serious issues concerning 'human rights', 'equal opportunities' and 'social justice'. The papers in this book will, hopefully, contribute to stimulating further debate and dialogue over both the conceptualisation and understanding of a cross-cultural approach to inclusion and exclusion.

This book recognizes the importance of an informed cross-cultural understanding of the policies and practices of different societies within the field of disability, human rights and education. It represents an attempt to critically engage with issues arising from the historical and contemporary domination of portrayals of 'the western' as advanced, democratic and exemplary, in contrast to the construction of the 'rest of the world' as backward, primitive and inferior in these fundamental areas. How human rights are understood in different contexts is a key theme in this book. Importantly, some contributors raise questions about the value of a 'human rights' model across all societies. Other contributors see the struggle for human rights as at the heart of the struggle for an inclusive society. The implications for education arising from this debate are identified, and a series of questions are raised by each author for further reflection and discussion as well as providing a stimulus for developing future research.Disability, Human Rights and Education is recommended reading for students and researchers interested in Disability Studies, inclusive education and social policy. It is also directly relevant to professionals and policy makers in the field seeking a greater understanding of cross-cultural perspectives.