ABSTRACT
Politics and research have made public understanding of disability a topic of discussion for decades. The topic has been approached from a number of perspectives, research has evolved, and there is now a huge body of empirical evidence reported, relating to a variety of disabilities. Different theoretical concepts including stigma theory, attitudes theory, and theory of social recognition are found in this body of empirical research. This chapter will provide a brief introduction to the current theory and pragmatics of these concepts. The chapter highlights that a new field of studying disabilities is emerging, the social representation of disabilities.
