Robert Bogdan

Relationships with Severely Disabled People: The Social Construction of Humanness

This paper presents the perspective of nondisabled people who do not stigmatize, stereotype, and reject those with obvious disabilities. We look at how nondisabled people who are in caring and accepting relationships with severely disabled others define them. Although the disabled people in these relationships sometimes drool, soil themselves, and do not talk or walk—traits that most would consider highly undesirable—they are accepted by the nondisabled people as valued and loved human beings. We look at four dimensions of the nondisabled peoples perspective that helps maintain the humanness of the other in their minds: (1) attributing thinking to the other, (2) seeing individuality in the other, (3) viewing the other as reciprocating, and (4) defining social place for the other. The paper illustrates a less deterministic approach to the study of deviance, suggests that people with what are conventionally thought of as extremely negatively valued characteristics can have moral careers that lead to inclusion rather than exclusion, and argues that the study of acceptance needs to be added to the more common focus on rejection.

On Accepting Relationships between People with Mental Retardation and Non-disabled People: Towards an Understanding of Acceptance

ABSTRACT This article outlines the “sociology of acceptance” as a theoretical framework for understanding relationships between people with mental retardation and typical people. As a point of departure, the authors review sociocultural perspectives on deviance and explore their contribution to the study of mental retardation. Based on qualitative research on community programs for people with severe disabilities, the authors next examine the nature of accepting relationships and describe four sentiments expressed by typical people who form relationships with people with mental retardation: family; religious commitment; humanitarian sentiments; and feelings of friendship. The article concludes with a brief discussion of the implications of a sociology of acceptance for the field of mental retardation.

A ‘Simple’ Farmer Accused of Murder: Community Acceptance and the Meaning of Deviance

ABSTRACT For all of their adult years the Ward brothers have been subsistence dairy farmers in a small rural community in central New York. In the spring of 1990 one of them was found dead and his brother, Delbert, was charged with murder and subsequently tried. A psychologist who testified for the defense put Delbert through a range of standard diagnostic procedures and declared he was “mentally retarded.” Townfolks reacted to the events with a tremendous outpouring of unified support for Delbert and his brothers. Their reaction was so emphatic and so pronounced it attracted regional and national media attention. Parallelling current interest in the integration of people with various disabilities into the community, this paper discusses this familys natural acceptance in the community and the nature of community support.

Views of the Asylum: Picture postcard depictions of institutions for people with mental disorders in the early 20th century

The authors describe and analyze pictorial representations and written messages from a collection of over 1,600 early 20th century postcard depicting institutions for people with mental disorders. They discuss asylum views within the context of postcards as a commercial enterprise and their meaning to the sender and receiver.

Conducting Evaluation Research — Integrity Intact

Abstract Taking the position that too little attention has been given to the systematic study of the nature of, and dangers in, the relationship between sponsors of evaluation research and social scientists, this paper offers statements of situations, relationships, and conditions one should avoid or foster in doing such research. Suggestions are given concerning how sociologists might control the misuses of data.

Freak Show: Presenting Human Oddities for Amusement and Profit.

From 1840 until 1940, freak shows by the hundreds crisscrossed the United States, from the smallest towns to the largest cities, exhibiting their casts of dwarfs, giants, Siamese twins, bearded ladies, savages, snake charmers, fire eaters, and other oddities. By todays standards such displays would be considered cruel and exploitive - the pornography of disability. Yet for one hundred years the freak show was widely accepted as one of Americas most popular forms of entertainment.

A Teacher with a Disability Speaks About Mainstreaming

Joe Campbell has worked for several years with disabled youngsters. A teaching assistant who was born with cerebral palsy, he views main streaming from his wheelchair. The au thors of this article have compiled and edited their taped conversations with him.

DOING FIELD RESEARCH, John M. Johnson, New York : The Free Press, 1915.225 pp.

John Johnson’s book Doing Field Research is a sign that participant observation has come of age. A book by a field worker, examining some of the common-sense assumptions field workers operate under, it is hopefully the beginning of a trend of critical, nondestructive, introspection of what up to now has been the taken-for-granted mythology of &dquo;how to do it.&dquo; The book is in part an intimate reporting of the author’s field work experience in studying social welfare agencies. While conducting his study, Johnson kept detailed field notes of the research dilemmas, contradictions, relationships, and so on. This data provides the basis for the book, which is more or less a study of a study, brought to a level of abstraction that makes it more than a case record.