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    Research

    Ability, inability, disability, and antidiscrimination law

    Author:

    Dimitris Michailakis

    University of Uppsala, Sweden, SE
    About Dimitris

    Dimitris Michailakis Ph.D. Assistant professor. The author of this article received his Ph.D in 1995 at the University of Uppsala, Sweden. He has since been working for the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the UN Commission for Social Development, for the WHO, for the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and is currently, since January 2000, holding a 62 SJDR - Volume 2, No. 2 – 2000 position as Assistant Professor at Uppsala University. His research interest concerns systems theory, disability and the labour market, the legal construction of disability. He has several publications, both national and international.

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    Abstract

    In this article the new disability anti‐discrimination law in Sweden is considered. The underlying prejudice‐causes‐discrimination model is criticised. It is argued that the new law ‐ which makes unlawful to discriminate persons with disabilities by applying stereotypes in evaluating them as job applicants outlaws prejudiced behaviour on the part of employers as such, without connecting it with any outcome in employment opportunities. The disability anti‐discrimination law is elitist in so far as it only assists those disabled workers whose profile is rather congruous with the profile of non‐disabled employees. The law individualises a systemic problem; it makes discrimination and exclusion of disabled persons from the labour market a problem concerning the prejudiced individual, thereby simplifying both the problem and the way to solve it. The lawmaker has not taken into consideration systemic aspects or gain‐motivated discrimination, neither that which might appear, as a gulf between ideals and practice are the outcome of a whole range of different practices that respond to different needs. The antidiscrimination law ‐ as if guided by neo‐liberal considerations, i.e. rules are not drawn up in order to direct the behaviour of the market ‐ rescues governments from the requirements of acting on behalf of the disadvantaged group..
    How to Cite: Michailakis, D., 2000. Ability, inability, disability, and antidiscrimination law. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 2(2), pp.32–62. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759
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      Published on 02 Jul 2000
    Peer Reviewed
     CC BY 4.0

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    Michailakis, D., 2000. Ability, inability, disability, and antidiscrimination law. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 2(2), pp.32–62. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759

    Michailakis D. Ability, inability, disability, and antidiscrimination law. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 2000;2(2):32–62. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759

    Michailakis, D. (2000). Ability, inability, disability, and antidiscrimination law. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 2(2), 32–62. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759

    Michailakis D, ‘Ability, Inability, Disability, and Antidiscrimination Law’ (2000) 2 Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 32 DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759

    Michailakis, Dimitris. 2000. “Ability, Inability, Disability, and Antidiscrimination Law”. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 2 (2): 32–62. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759

    Michailakis, Dimitris. “Ability, Inability, Disability, and Antidiscrimination Law”. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 2, no. 2 (2000): 32–62. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759

    Michailakis, D.. “Ability, Inability, Disability, and Antidiscrimination Law”. Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, vol. 2, no. 2, 2000, pp. 32–62. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/15017410009510759

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