Disability, Geography of

The geography of disability is an important and emerging area of human geography scholarship. Research in this area of the discipline has increased over the past two decades, to the point that it is now a distinctive subdiscipline referred to often as the geographies of disability. The nature of research in this subdiscipline has greatly evolved over time due to changes in research interests, the infusion of ideas from other disciplines such as disability studies, the use of a greater range of research methods, and the development of stronger connections with other geographic subdisciplines such as health geography. Much research in the geographies of disability is united by a shared interest in understanding sociospatial experiences of disability and processes of disablement. This entry gives an overview of models of disability and examines research on the geography of disability, including emerging work on mind and body differences as well as issues of research design and dissemination of concern to the subdiscipline.

Central to all disability research, including that undertaken by geographers, is understanding what disability is; there is, however, no single, definitive way of doing this. Rather, there are multiple models to assist with characterizing disability. The key difference between these models centers on where the “cause” of disability or disablement is located. Biomedical models of disability identify mind and body differences (often expressed as physical and mental impairments) as the source of disability. In such a model, disability is based on individual deficiency (i.e., an inability of one's body and/or mind to work in expected and “normal” ways). Social models locate the causes of disability as external to the body and mind, often attributing disabling experiences to social structures, systems, and institutions that constrain people's abilities to live in [Page 758]desired ways. Numerous other models of disability exist, including the biopsychosocial and social justice models. There are debates within human geography and beyond as to which model is most appropriate to use in research. From this brief overview, it can be understood that what constitutes disability varies quite significantly, based on the model that is employed. The particular model adopted by a geographer to guide his or her work in the geographies of disability subdiscipline will very much inform the research question(s) ultimately posed. The adoption of different models of disability by geographers within the subdiscipline has, in part, contributed to the breadth of topics investigated.

Human geographers in this subdiscipline have explored a range of research topics that have changed in focus over time. An early area of inquiry, for example, was related to physical access to the built environment for those with a range of bodily impairments. More recently, theoretical developments in human geography and beyond, the evolution of models of disability, and the emergence of the discipline of disability studies have all contributed to a broadening of areas of inquiry. Recent years have seen the emergence of research in the subdiscipline regarding the enabling and disabling nature of technologies, sociospatial barriers to desired participation in society and space, the embodiment of disability and impairment, disability activism and engagement, and work and leisure spaces occupied by disabled people.

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