Fragile Rights: Disability, Public Policy, and Social Change

The French version of this book was the winner of the 2022 Grand Prix de la Protection Sociale.

Over the years many disability-related rights have been legally recognized, but how has this changed the everyday lives of people with disabilities?

Drawing on biographical interviews collected from individuals with mobility or visual impairments in France, this book analyses the reception of disability policies in the fields of education, employment, social rights and accessibility. It examines to what extent these policies contribute to the realization of associated rights among disabled people. The book demonstrates that the rights associated with disability suffer from major implementation flaws, while shedding light on the very active role of disabled citizens in the realization of their rights.

Anne Revillard is Associate Professor of sociology at Sciences Po, Director of the Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Evaluation of Public Policies (LIEPP) and member of the Centre for Research on social Inequalities (CRIS).