Empowerment Issues in Services to Individuals With Disabilities

Abstract

"Empowerment" has become a widely used term in discussions of disability and rehabilitation issues. However, the term has been given a confusing variety of meanings and interpretations. The meanings and some conflicting views of empowerment are reviewed. We argue that there is a great deal more clarity regarding how disability services currently limit empowerment than about what empowerment is, and we outline five core features of disability services which are said to be disempowering. Elements of a service system that overcome these limitations and promote empowerment are presented. Incorporating these elements will require a more radical restructuring of current service systems than many have supposed.