Disability is a cultural construction whose history (which is only a few centuries old) can and should be analyzed with a critical perspective that denounces particular forms of oppression suffered by a significant part of society. This is the theoretical and epistemological assumption shared by the authors and organizers of this collection, in tune with disability studies. This fast-growing field — in Brazil and abroad — in human and social sciences seeks to bring academic research and production closer to the reality and demands of social movements of people with disabilities. The cultural, social, and political questioning of normality does not deny the role of medicine and rehabilitation in the lives of people with disabilities, but goes beyond that. It affirms the need to be with them, to pay attention to the uniqueness of their experiences, to listen to their demands and engage in the fight for visibility and inclusion in society, far from merely charitable and palliative policies.
