Beyond Ramps: Disability at the End of the Social Contract

by Marta Russell

A WARNING FROM AN UPPITY CRIP. Marta Russell exposes the neoliberal drive to shrink social services with the Reinventing Government mantra. "We are dangerously close to a Jerry Lewis democracy where middlemen beggars and corporate CEOs getting huge paychecks may replace entitlements with charity," reveals Russell in her devastating analysis of the "reform" of the social safety net.

Genres: Disability, Nonfiction, History, Politics, Disability Studies, Social Justice, Theory

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1998

About the author

Marta Russell (December 20, 1951 – December 15, 2013) was an American writer and disability rights activist. Her book, Beyond Ramps: Disability at the End of the Social Contract published in 1998 by Common Courage Press analyzes the relationship between disability, social Darwinism, and economic austerity under capitalism. Her political views, which she described as "left, not liberal," informed her writing on topics such as healthcare, the prison-industrial complex, physician-assisted suicide, poverty, ableism, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Reviews

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is truly fascinating to me. While it tends to be didactic and lacks the sort of "personal story" that most people would be well served to read in addition, I think it provides an interesting perspective on disability rights, particularly how differential access to health care effects life/opportunities. The book raises important questions of identity and disability - how are people changed by accidents and brain damage not just in terms of ability but relationships, identity, communication and rights - even our right to live. The author argues that capitalism has limited the view of a useful life or a life worth living... I agree.

[sonny singh suchdev · Rating 5 out of 5]

wake up call about the oppression of people with disabilities. read it!

[Mariah · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Beyond Ramps, Marta Russell gives an excellent critique of disability policy & cultural attitudes in the American political & economic system. She shows how inadequate the Americans with Disabilities Act is in broadening opportunities and inclusion of people with disabilities in mainstream society. There is not enough of a push for businesses to hire people with disabilities, and there was too much compromise on not putting an "undue burden" on businesses to make their buildings accessible.

She also covers issues of bio-ethics, the history and current practices of eugenics & euthanasia.
She gives some terrible examples of people who were put to death against their will, by people who thought they knew best. Though I do have to disagree with her on the Terry Schiavo case- doctors were almost all agreed that she was beyond help, not conscious at all, and really just artificially being kept alive. Really, it's a big example of why we all need to write living wills. There is a lot more awareness & encouragement of writing living wills by health care professionals now. Russell also challenges us- what is the "perfect baby" anyway? Where do we draw the line as far as parents choosing what traits their unborn children have? Are we loosing important parts of the human condition or playing God by aborting these embryos or screening out "bad" genes?
How much is the pro-choice movement quietly supporting selective abortion as a parent's choice? (Though she does overall support a women's right to choose) Lots of disturbing things to consider, both on an individual and societal level.

Keep in mind, however that this book is now 14 years old- Clinton was president at the time, and so the statistics and policies are now quite different. I don't have all the information as to *how* they differ, but one thing I can say is that the tides have turned a lot regarding nursing homes vs. Personal Care Attendants. During the 2000's it became realized that PCAs were cheaper, and better for the people involved, and so there has been a strong shift in that direction, though funding for them is often not enough.
I also thought she was too harshly critical of nonprofits. I think non-profits and charities can be a good *supplement* to government aid, but they definitely cannot replace them, and I agree we can't just depend on people to donate to them.


I learned a lot from this book, and it often challenged my views, and deepened my understanding of disability rights issues. I hope it will for you too!
I will re-post this review on my blog- http://www.mariahmuse.blogspot.com and you can read more of my thoughts & opinions on disability issues there.

[Ryan Mishap · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Manifesto of an Uppity Crip"

Extensive listing of ills visited upon the disabled from 1930's Germany to 1990's U.S. Coming from the left/progressive viewpoint while rightly criticizing the left's failure to support/work on disabled issues.

[Donnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

well done.

[Billie Rain · Rating 4 out of 5]

a hard look at the cruelty of institutionalized ableism.