The War on Disabled People Quotes

“Knowing our history is important. It helps us understand that what we face in our current time is socially constructed and can therefore be altered. It gives us greater insights into the workings of the forces that oppress us. It gives us evidence with which to challenge the myths and false assumptions that dominate popular ideas about disability. Lessons from the past can help us shape and build a more effective resistance in the present.”
― Ellen Clifford, The War on Disabled People: Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe

“The book follows the social model of disability, a tool developed by disabled people as a guide for social action. It draws a distinction between impairment and disability. Disability consists of the barriers that a person with impairment experiences as a result of the way in which society is organised that excludes or devalues them. According to this analysis, preferred terminology in Britain is to describe people as disabled - because they are disabled by society - not people with disabilities, which makes no sense from a social model perspective.”
― Ellen Clifford, The War on Disabled People: Capitalism, Welfare and the Making of a Human Catastrophe