Theories of Disability: Findings From an Analysis of Textbooks on Human Behavior and the Social Environment

Abstract

Physical, mental, learning, and developmental disabilities are important contributors to our understanding of human behavior and the social environment of these disabilities. This article is an analysis of disability content in 14 frequently used textbooks on human behavior and the social environment and is built upon three approaches to curriculum content: life cycle theory, psychodynamic theory, and systems theory. Our analysis indicates that disability is well represented in some texts, under-represented in others, andbarely mentioned in others. Overall, the subject of disability rarely receives a comprehensive treatment with respect to its impact on human behavior and its role in the social environment. This analysis concludes with implications for the future development of theories to inform social work practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability
• HBSE
• theory

Notes

We acknowledge and thank the following doctoral colleagues who conducted the preliminary assessments of the textbooks reviewed in this analysis: Mary Ager, Yolanda Anyon, Ryu Cheng, Sara Kimberlin, Carol Peng, and Sarah Schulz.