Fourteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

The way the disabled body is viewed is socially constructed. Social construction is hegemonic (Ingram & Schneider, 2007). Thus, it impacts the perceptions or the worldviews of policymakers. A large chunk of literature discusses disability policy challenges, focusing mainly on issues prevalent in the West. Although some research on disability policy problems in the Global South exists, they have failed to underscore the social construction of disability, an ideology of ability. Disability frameworks (Burkhauser and Daly, 2002; Boylan, 1991; Berkowitz, Johnson, & Murphy, 1976) applied to the disability situations in the West cannot address the policy problems in the Global South. Most of the policies on disabilities formulated in Nepal and in the Global South are based on a medical model (Bhambani, 2003; Dhungana, 2006) that hardly assess the self-narratives of the disabled. It defines disability as being physically unable to perform any task or to be physically or mentally “impaired” or “feeble” or “crippled.” This definition is based on the dominant policy narratives and, I believe, exacerbates the conditions of the disabled, and this is a current problem. Instead of focusing on disability is viewed in developing poor countries and how they differ from disability issues in the West, my research focuses first and foremost on the social construction of disability and it is important for policymakers to understand in order to address problems.