ABSTRACT

Disabled children have received little attention within the social model of disability: the extent to which it provides an adequate explanatory framework for their experiences has been little explored. Many studies about disabled children make reference to the social model, often in relation to identifying social or material barriers or in formulating recommendations for better services (Morris, 1998; Dowling and Dolan, 2001; Murray, 2002; Townsley et al., 2004; Rabiee et al., 2005). Few have focused specifi cally on children’s perceptions and experiences of impairment and disability or explored the implications of these for theorizing childhood disability. Watson et al. (2000) and Kelly (2005), following Connors and Stalker (2003), are notable exceptions. Ali et al. (2001), in a critical review of the literature relating to black disabled children, concluded that the disability movement in Britain has neglected children’s experiences.