Overview

In a series of in-depth interviews, 32 men and women describe the ways in which they have responded to their spinal cord injuries. They freely discuss their sex lives, their beliefs about God, how they want others to treat them, and their hopes of walking again. In each chapter, the author presents detailed narratives along with the latest research. """"Wheeling and Dealing"""" explores the impacts of both physical impairment and the social environment. Although disability activists tend to focus almost exclusively on the external, social aspects of disability, many individuals with spinal cord injury assert that their disabilities can be understood only as a combination of internal impairments and external circumstances. Topics covered include: physical health, from loss of function to problems like pressure sores, temperature regulation, and bladder control; the stages of psychological adjustment and rehabilitation; obstacles to sexual intimacy, treatment of erectile dysfunction, and new sources of sexual pleasure and emotional intimacy; religion and spirituality; social and political beliefs - everything from welfare services to embryonic stem cell research; dating, marriage, and parenting; friendship networks and social supports; concerns about transportation and accessibility; and, education, employment, and the economic consequences of spinal cord injury.

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9780826515346

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Reviews

This book is very well researched and covers a wide range of theories relating to disability and impairment - social, psychological and biological. A diverse range of issues are discussed including, education, friendship, psychological adjustment and sexual identity. Central to the book are 32 in-depth interviews with people with spinal cord injuries. Quotations from these interviews are interspersed throughout the text bringing the theories and the topic of each chapter to life in a powerful way. <br>Sally French, Open University

A meticulously researched study of physical disability. What is particularly useful about this book is that Wilder marries social science and biomedical perspectives in her analysis. Moreover, the range of topics covered by the author will make this a useful text in the disciplines of nursing, social work, and health studies. --Jacqueline Low, University of New Brunswick - Fredericton

A meticulously researched study of physical disability. What is particularly useful about this book is that Wilder marries social science and biomedical perspectives in her analysis. Moreover, the range of topics covered by the author will make this a useful text in the disciplines of nursing, social work, and health studies. <br>--Jacqueline Low, University of New Brunswick - Fredericton

Author Information

Esther Isabelle Wilder teaches sociology at Lehman College and the CUNY Graduate Center.

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