Social Work Commons^™

Extending The Capability Paradigm To Address The Complexity Of Disability, Jean-Luc Dubois, Jean-Francois Trani

Brown School Faculty Publications

Amartya Sen looks at people’s well-being in terms of functioning and freedom, rather than in terms of the amount of goods or services consumed. The capability approach developed by Sen deals with what people are able to achieve by using these commodities. Concerning disability, he wrote: “We must take note that a disabled person may not be able to do the many things that an able-bodied individual can, with the same bundle of commodities” (Sen, 1985 p.7). The capability approach makes it possible to analyse the economic situation of people with disabilities in a different way. What becomes important is …