ABSTRACT
Disability law has not been a field of legal research and teaching at many universities in the United States nor has it been widely acknowledged in other countries around the world. In North America and most European countries, the issue of disability as a subject of law has commonly been included in social security and welfare legislation, health law or guardianship law. Thus, disabled persons have been depicted not as subjects of legal rights but as objects of wel fare, health and charity programs. The underlying policy has been to segregate and exclude people with disabilities from mainstream society, sometimes pro viding them with special schools, sheltered workshops, special housing and transportation. This policy has been deemed just because disabled persons were believed incapable of coping with both society at large and all or most major life activities.
