Disability in the Far East

Author:

• Miho Iwakuma (Kyoto University)

Abstract:

A phenomenon of disability is socially constructed; therefore, it is not free from norms, rules, shared understanding, or values systems, in short, culture. While the presence of such individuals is a constant, culturally shared responses to them vary greatly across time and social context" (Scheer & Groce, 1988, p. 23). This paper examines this universal presence of disability in a Japanese context, which is under a myriad of ever-changing influences, such as political, cultural, and social forces.