ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Paul Abberley argues for the importance of the concept of oppression in gaining an understanding of the way disability is produced and people with disabilities are treated in society. The chapter is concerned with outlining the development of this ‘social theory of disability’. He examines the meaning of the concept of ‘oppression’, the way social conditions affect the nature and origin of impairments, and how the disadvantages experienced by people with disabilities share common features with other oppressed groups in society. He concludes by summarising the way the oppression of people with disabilities can be related to economic and social conditions.
