Doing Disability Equality Training: A Handbook for Trainers

The true nature of "disability" is neither merely the functional limitations of individuals nor difficulty of performance which arises directly from such limitations. "Disability" is oppression, discrimination, social exclusion and the restriction of participation. This view of disability as a social construct is one which clearly removes the focus from the individual disabled person as being "the problem" and shifts the onus to society to remove the barriers which prevent full inclusion.

This perspective on disability is called the Social Model of Disability, and is the underlying conceptual foundation of Disability Equality Training (DET). DET aims to promote an understanding of disability from the Social Model perspective; it helps identify the barriers that exist in society and facilitates proactive measures towards removing these barriers. DET takes Facilitated Participatory Learning, or discovery learning, as an approach for all its training.

This book is developed based on a popular two-week training course by the DET Forum. It covers the Social Model of Disability and a set of Facilitated Participatory Learning methodologies.

KENJI KUNO, PhD, is a senior advisor on social security and disability for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and a coordinator of the DET Forum (www.detforum.com). He has been involved in the field of disability and development for over twenty years. He holds a PhD in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia, United Kingdom.