Normal Life

It is widely agreed that people with disabilities have the right to live a normal life. This book raised the questions, what is a normal life and who should define it? The war pensions and industrial injuries schemes ensure for beneficiaries a privileged position within the social security system. The study analyses the impact of the schemes on the development of disability income and, in comparison with lump sums paid through the courts for damages, on living standards. It challenges preconceptions about disabilities and normality, emphasising the role of administrative structures in determining perceptions of the relationship between normality, disability handicap and impairment, and questioning comfortable assumptions about the inherent superiority and normality of care provided in private households and by informal networks. The study is opportune as strengthening ties within Europe and the community care initiative give prominence to its twin policy themes of disability income and care.