Absent Citizens: Disability Politics and Policy in Canada.

Dhillon, Shaminder K.

Absent Citizens: Disability Politics and Policy in Canada By MICHAEL J. PRINCE. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009. xiv, 225, notes, bibliographical references, index.

The focus of this book is on the concept of "citizenship" for people with disabilities in Canada. Throughout the book, citizenship is explored through "a politics of cultural recognition, a politics of economic redistribution and a politics of political representation" (p. vii). This common thread ties together the author's ideas and thoughts, keeping the reader abreast of the larger picture while examining a variety of topics.

The book is written for a diverse audience, beginning with students and academics of disability studies, disabled activists and self-advocates, policy-makers and administrators, and those in related fields. While the book's focus is on politics and policy, the literature reviewed is broad and in-depth, and comes from many different sources, including government documents, academic literature from disability studies and related disciplines, as well as first-person accounts, all centred on the Canadian experience. International literature is referenced for comparison, on several topics; however, this is a book that Canadians interested in disability policy need to read. It is current and attempts to present systematically the various perspectives on key issues in disability studies. A central theme throughout is ascertaining the relevance to the Canadian disability movement of social liberalism over neoliberalism.

Part one of the book comprises chapters 1 through 3, where the focus is on the contemporary issues that prevent people with disabilities from experiencing full citizenship within Canada. Chapter I is a current snapshot of Canadians' attitudes and beliefs about people with disabilities, based on a government initiative to collect information via survey and focus groups. The author describes the current social environment as ambiguous, which is quite interesting because, even though attitudes are shifting, there remains inconsistency and some reluctance to fully accept people with disabilities as fellow citizens. Theories of urban living are applied to people with disabilities in Chapter 2. The overall picture appears quite negative, yet the disability movement began in urban centres, which creates an interesting dissonance for the reader. The diverse civic publics perspective is somewhat downplayed in the book; however, it is the arena in which the author calls for more growth. The final chapter in this section highlights how the state and its policies gave rise to social stratification and describes the implications for people with disabilities. The author is fair in presenting both associated advantages and disadvantages.

Part two of Absent Citizens comprises four chapters that are centred on the potential inclusion of people with disabilities and that examine the group's strengths and resources. A discussion of "mainstreaming disability" in Chapter 4 refers to ensuring that people with disabilities are included in the policy development process. Three strategies to achieve this goal are discussed: a national index of social inclusion, which measures the extent to which people with disabilities are included in society; the use of a disability lens in assessing policies; and disability budgets. While these strategies may appear obvious, the author presents different perspectives and applies lessons learned from the gender mainstreaming literature.

Chapter 5 is helpful in thinking about how the disability community is currently organized and situated. Five different arenas are described in terms of their targeted issues and compared to the international context. Chapter 6 presents the challenges experienced by people living with disabilities while they act in the role of elector. The notion that Canadian society as a whole is disenchanted, as seen by poor voter turnout at elections, is cause for reflection when juxtaposed with the information that people with developmental disabilities and mental illness were only recognized as having the right to vote in the last few decades, thereby demonstrating a sense of hope. The two perspectives are brilliantly presented as opposing cognitive and emotional processes. The final chapter of this section provides organizational information to the reader regarding the various interactions that the disability community has had, and can have, with the governing community in policy development. The benefit of this analysis is to appreciate the implications of each form of interaction and identify situations when they may be most useful and necessary.

The final section of the book has two chapters that summarize the themes of the book and reconceptualize the higher-level issues and their applicability for the future. A sense of balance emerges when reading Absent Citizens from multiple perspectives, with no topics emerging as completely negative or positive. Similarly, the concluding chapters report on Canada's policy successes and setbacks where people with disabilities are concerned. This is encouraging when shifting towards the recommendations generated in every chapter, as well as at the conclusion: namely, a federal disability act and a national action plan. These ideas are not presented as a panacea but rather as important achievements in the disability movement towards the full citizenship of people with disabilities in Canada.

Michael J. Prince identifies himself as an "insider" and "outsider" in that he works with disability organizations and government to include a disability perspective on policy issues but does not have a disability and, as an academic, conducts research and writes about disability politics and policies. He has executed these tasks with openness and integrated the roles seamlessly in this book.

Shaminder K. Dhillon is an occupational therapist and assistant professor, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University.