Disability and the loss of autonomy

Disability was initially studied by health science researchers working on re-education or rehabilitation but the social sciences took up the subject in the 1960s and especially in the 1970s. It was the subject of critical studies linked to disability studies carried out in the United States and the United Kingdom in the 1960s and 1970s. This research helped to change the way we look at people with physical, psychological or cognitive impairments. Today, disability is considered the result of an interaction combining the pathology, other dynamics specific to an individual (age, inherited social, cultural and economic capital developed over the course of a lifetime) and the individual's specific social or physical environment (entourage, living environment, society). Proactive public policies have helped improve responses to the specific requirements of people with disabilities while the regulatory framework has evolved to promote the independence and inclusion of disabled people and ensure a better quality of life for them. This involves progress in schools and training, treatment, employment, accessibility, including digital accessibility, etc.

The humanities and social sciences have fully committed to developing this overall integrated approach to disability and the loss of autonomy that combines the study of individual experiences with work on the social, situational and environmental dimensions of disability. The aim of the research carried out is to understand the mechanisms of autonomy and explore ways of restoring and preserving it including from the idea of adapting the environment to people's differences. The work includes analyses of the impact of legal categories on how disability is managed and on loss of autonomy; the relationship between private care and public policy; the place, role and limits of family solidarity; support policies for disabled people and their carers; and the labour market.

This research involves all the humanities and social sciences, particularly sociology, economics, law, history, philosophy, geography and urban planning. It also features increasing levels of collaboration with the life and health sciences and also integrates more science and technology.

Research centers and networks