A Political Theory of Disability and Illness

FAIN: FA-52608-06

Nancy J. Hirschmann
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA 19104-6205)

I propose to write a series of articles that develop a political theory of disability and illness by exploring three specific topics: analyzing disability through political theories of freedom; exploring a concept I call "invisible disability;" and considering the ethics of stem cell research. These three topics center on the general themes of freedom and power: how social choices affect the physical and social experience of particular disability and illness, how the able-bodied interpret disability and illness, how the sick and disabled see themselves, how these different perceptions prioritize different moral questions and values, what democratic ethics require of policy.