Disability as Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence reveals why disability is a cultural experience, rather than merely a medical status. Conceptual models of disability have evolved into a complex biopsychosocial phenomenon that disability service providers must understand to fully appreciate the intricacy of the lives of the people they serve. In this volume, Andrews sets the stage with the must-know history of disability rights and the social and cultural evolution of disabled people in the United States. She presents important concepts about attitudes toward disability and the impact of ableism. Andrews illustrates that not only are negative attitudes harmful, but that overly positive stereotypes can have an equally detrimental effect on disabled people. The reader will learn about disability microaggressions and how attempts to improve disability awareness can be misguided. Andrews argues that there is a distinct disability culture, and introduces the reader to its characteristics and features. She explores the concept of disability identity development, and how some people with disabilities identify readily as disabled and embrace the disability community, while others do not view themselves as disabled even though they meet commonly accepted criteria for disability. Andrews delves into the intricacies and controversies of disability language, including person-first and identity-first language. The reader will gain enhanced knowledge and skills to provide culturally competent care to individuals, as well as methods to enrich cultural humility at the organizational level. Andrews offers readers a guide to disability-related considerations for psychological testing and assessment and the role of universal design. Readers will learn about specific considerations for intervention with children and adults with disabilities, including how to tailor intervention approaches, clinician attitudes, and the use of evidence based treatments. Researchers will find a thorough exploration of the challenges inherent in disability research, the importance of full consumer inclusion, and future directions to reduce health disparities based on disability. This book offers practical suggestions for clinicians and researchers who work with people with disabilities in order to be culturally effective in all aspects of assessment, intervention, and scientific inquiry.

Disability as Diversity: Developing Cultural Competence is the first book to comprehensively address disability as diversity and provide a guide for developing cultural competence. The text goes beyond disability models, and opens a discourse on concepts such as disability identity development and culture, and culturally appropriate language, assessment, and intervention. Readers will gain an appreciation of the role of cultural competence on healthdisparities, health promotion, and disease prevention for disability across the lifespan. This volume is designed to equip professionals with heightened awareness, knowledge, and skills to enhance the provision of culturally competent care to disabled people.

Andrews provides an illuminating foundation for disability cultural competence by reviewing key historical, theoretical, and empirical disability studies knowledge in impressive topical breadth and critical depth. This is what disabled people want professionals to know in order to change the dynamics of disempowerment often experienced in service settings." -Carol J. Gill, PhD, Professor Emerita, Department of Disability & Human Development, Interdisciplinary PhD Program in Disability Studies, University of Illinois at Chicago