Majid Turmusani - Disabled People and Economic Needs in the Developing World

A Political Perspective from Jordan

MAJID TURMUSANI

First published 2003 by Ashgate Publishing

Published 20 16 by Routledge
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Copyright Majid Turmusani 2003

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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Turmusani, Majid
Disabled people and economic needs in the developing world : a political perspective from Jordan
1. People with disabilities - Economic conditions 2. Sociology of disability 3. People with disabilities - Government policy - Jordan 4. People with disabilities -Services for - Jordan 5. People with disabilities - Jordan -Economic conditions
I. Title
362.4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Turmusani, Majid
Disabled people and economic needs in the developing world : a political perspective from Jordan / Majid Turmusani.
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7546-3329-2 (alk. paper)
1. People with disabilities-Developing countries. 2. People with disabilities-Developing countries-Economic conditions. 3. People with disabilities-Jordan-Economic conditions. 4. Sociology of disability-Developing countries. 5. Sociology of disability-Jordan. 6. Islam and social problems-Jordan. I. Title.

HV 1559.D44T87 2003
362.4'091724dc21
2002027786

ISBN 13: 978-0-7546-3329-7 (hbk)

Contemporary discourses on disability include recognition of the importance of cross-cultural research, however, few texts take an approach that is both comparative and descriptively detailed. This book does both. It makes an important contribution to culture-specific ethnographic detail and to theoretical development of disability that emphasizes cultural variation in developing countries. Disability only exists in reference to ability, but not necessarily a biomedical sense of ability. Taking a census of people who would be considered disabled in the US or the UK may tell us a lot about illness process, but nothing about disablement or even impairment. People are disabled if they are considered impaired and treated as disabled. There is no absolute. The cross-cultural range of acceptable variation in impairment related to disability is probably huge and almost completely unstudied. Nor can we uncritically apply an independent living model to disabled people in developing countries. This case study of Jordan gives us a fully developed description of how to focus on the perspectives of service users in planning and implementing culturally appropriate local community approaches to consumer choice and self-determination. Turmusani in both his analysis and in his presentation of his participants views moves us closer to socio-cultural models of disability. There is no unitary social model of disability or impairment, only models.

Focused on economic rehabilitation, this book also demonstrates methodological innovation in its use of a participatory approach including the use of rapid appraisal methods with disabled people in control of the production of research. Turmusani examines disability policy in Jordan and the economic domain of the lives of disabled people. It looks at the need for community based vocational rehabilitation in the context of limited government funds and general poverty. Turmusani reminds us of the essential role of disabled people in disability policy formation. It enlivens our understanding of disability as a human rights and social justice issue. Turmusani also reminds us of the essential role of disabled people in health care policy issues. We, as an international disability community, cannot afford to be locked out of these debates by medical system illiteracy born in the rejection of a medicalized view of disability. Particularly in developing countries a subtle political remedicalization of disability is necessary. We are poised at the beginning of paradigmatic shift away from a strict literal Anglo-Saxon view of independent living to more international concepts of interdependence and universal design. We move closer to a situational and temporal construction of impairment and disability. This is also true of the concept of disability culture. Is there simply a culture of disability, or is it cultures of disability?

The books three parts are well married. Part one explores the global context of disability. Part two presents the case of Jordan and looks at theory and practice. Part three concludes by examining the rise of disability identity and politics in developing countries with important developments in participatory policy agendas.

This book is a critical exposition of how to apply theory to practice and back again in an international context. It stretches the boundaries of disability studies to encompass sociology, anthropology, policy studies and community development. This is right where we should be.

The work, testimony and writings of many disabled and non-disabled people have inspired the production of this book. I hope the book will be widely used in a range of developing countries as much as it will be used in the developed world and that the material will be stimulating and constructive.

There are countless number of people who helped in the process of writing and finalizing this work. I would like especially to thank disabled people who have shared their life experiences within the course of the empirical research in Jordan as well as countless other disabled people whos struggle was reported and cited in the literature of this study. For all those, I acknowledge the rich contribution they made to this work and I have greatly learned from their life insights and experiences.

A number of people have also read and made helpful comments on an early draft of this book. I would like to thanks Len Barton at Sheffield, and Ray Pawson, Carolyn Baylies, Colin Barnes, Phil Sutton, Peter Dwyer, and Jonathan Fish at Leeds.

Great and helpful comments on the final draft of this book were made by Devva Kasnitz at University of California, Berkeley. I am especially grateful to Devva for her continued support and directions throughout the writing up process of this book. I am also grateful for the support extended by Sheial Wirz at the Centre for International Child Health, London for the pre-publication endorsement of this work.