Unlocking ability: democracy and disabled people's campaign for recognition

The central challenge facing campaigners for the rights of disabled people can be summed up in an easily misunderstood question: how do problems become citizens? People are, of course, not problems but are commonly viewed as such by governments and planners. In this respect, disabled people have much in common with slum dwellers and people excluded through stigmatised health conditions like HIV/AIDS. This chapter considers the complex politics of engagement by and on behalf of excluded groups and suggests ways of reaching a more inclusive polity.