Encyclopedia of Disability torrent

Encyclopedia of Disability, by Gary L. Albrecht (Editor)
2892 pages, PDF (printed in five volumes)

One would expect to find discussion of such topics as accessibility, assistive technology, and mainstreaming in a reference source called Encyclopedia of Disability --but readers might be surprised to find Archaeology; Dickens, Charles; Norse sagas; and Postcolonialism in the list of entries. The wide range of coverage distinguishes this particular set, which was designed "to bring current knowledge and experience with disability across a wide variety of places, conditions, and cultures to both the general reader and the specialist."

Editor Albrecht (University of Illinois at Chicago) and over 500 authors from around the world contributed the more than 800 entries. Almost 200 of the entries are biographical, treating individuals from Homer and Socrates to Helen Keller and Franklin Roosevelt. Others treat history (Deaf, history of the; Freak show; History of disability: Medical care in Renaissance Europe); types of disability (Down syndrome, Multiple sclerosis,Obesity); medical and health concerns (Physical therapy, Genetic counseling, Managed care); legal and social matters (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Deinstitutionalization, Public transportation); attitudes and conditions affecting daily life (Confinement, Deformity,Stigma); and more. A series of entries under the heading Experience of Disability discusses conditions in 13 countries, including Brazil, Ireland, and Japan. Entry length generally ranges from around 200 words to 10 pages. Most entries conclude with citations for further readings, and many also offer lists of Web sites.

The text is supported by a number of black-and-white illustrations, many of which show depictions of disability in works of art and film. All of the illustrations are contained in volume 5, which is also home to documents representing the "first effort at compiling primary source materials on disability." The documents are organized by historical period and arranged chronologically, from ancient Sumerian proverbs to Andrea Dworkin's 2005 essay "Through the Pain Barrier." Each document has a brief introduction that supplies context. Following the documents are a chronology and a section on finding and evaluating Web sites. To aid the reader, each volume includes an alphabetical list of entries and a "Reader's Guide," which groups entries under broad subject categories. Documents are also listed under pertinent categories here, providing useful links between documents and related text. Volume 4 contains a 120-page bibliography and the set index. A small inconvenience is that the index, though detailed, does not reference volume numbers, except in the case of the documents found in volume 5.

The encyclopedia's very inclusiveness inevitably gives rise to questions about what has been left out. Why is there an entry for the experience of disability in Costa Rica but not Nicaragua? Why is there an entry for Vincent Van Gogh but not Henri Toulouse-Lautrec? These questions are minor, however, compared to the achievement of drawing in readers from a wide range of studies and interests and helping them to see disability in an entirely new way. Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries. Mary Ellen Quinn, American Library Association.