Disability Studies (DS) creates the space for rethinking traditional, medical approaches, to imagining disability, mental health and related social institutions, using a liberal arts lens to explore the variety of possible, yet uncommonly shared, meanings. We situate disability amidst contemporary, interdisciplinary debates and developments in research, policy and theory, illustrating how it touches all our lives in different spheres: family sports education, youth, workplace, art, war, aging, cultures and mobility.

Disability and mental health affect most of us directly or indirectly, as well as people that we will work with as colleagues, partners, clients or service providers. The new Disability Rights legislation means that familiarity with this field will continue to be a valuable asset for various careers and good citizenship. Other social changes that increase the relevance of this degree include: aging population living longer but with more disabilities, veterans returning with various conditions and a rise in diagnosis of conditions for children and youth and subsequent attention to supporting them well.