How attitudes disable

Social epidemiologist Professor Eric Emerson argues that “disability” and “being disabled” really refer to the effects of social and economic marginalisation of people with certain types of physical or mental impairments, and not the personal impact of the impairments themselves.

While some societies have made strides in improving the lives of the people with impairments, we have yet to tackle our fundamental assumptions about disability and how it arises from the interaction between health conditions and the society in which we live.

“People get excluded, socially excluded, because of their health condition,” says Professor Emerson, “not because the health condition does it but because the cultural expectations, the way society works, means that they are being excluded.

“It’s the disadvantage faced by people with disabilities which really generates and creates their poorer health. It’s not about impairment; it’s about being disabled. It’s about being marginalised and disadvantaged in the society in which you live.”

Episode recorded: 28 June 2017 Up Close producer: Eric van Bemmel Audio engineer: Gavin Nebauer Banner image: Leif Skoogfors/FEMA

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