ABSTRACT
The authors of this book have examined the educational experiences of people with disabilities with the assumption that these experiences should be analyzed within the context of the cultures (systems of meaning expressed by patterns of behavior) in which they live. The authors hold the belief that the perceived cultural competence of people with disabilities has historically been distorted and undervalued. Images of cultural competence (or the ability to be seen as an active, contributing societal member) are products of deeply ingrained attitudes and beliefs that have evolved through centuries of lived experiences. These images include notions of disability held by individuals in families, organized groups, and society in general. Cultural ideology, structure, and practice within and across nation states interact with perceptions of disability to produce images of culturally competent individuals. Currently, these perceptions are undergoing a new phase of re-production.
