Society for Disability Studies

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2008 - Steven J. Taylor

Dr. Taylor earned the first SDS Senior Scholar Award in recognition of his tremendous dedication to improving the lives of people with disabilities, strengthening communities, and building the field of disability studies. Dr. Taylor is currently at Syracuse University, N.Y., where he serves as Co-Director of the Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies; Coordinator of Disability Studies; Professor of Cultural Foundations in Education with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Sociology; and holds the title of Centennial Professor of Disability Studies in the School of Education. He also serves as the editor of the journal, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and as a member of the editorial board of the Encyclopedia of American Disability History. The body of work that he has produced is extraordinary, including his most recent book, Acts of Conscience: World War II, Mental Institutions, and Religious Objectors (2009), and many works that are now regarded as classics in the field of disability studies, including for example The Social Meaning of Mental Retardation: Two Life Stories (1994, with R. Bogdan); Interpreting Disability: A Qualitative Reader (1992, edited with P. M. Ferguson and D. L. Ferguson, D. L.); The Variety of Community Experience: Qualitative Studies of Family and Community Life (1995, edited with R. Bogdan and Z. Lutfiyya); and Community Integration for People with Severe Disabilities (1987, edited with D. Bilken and J. Knoll). His text (1998, written with R. Bogdan) Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods: A Guidebook and Resource is now in its 3rd edition. Through his work, he has tirelessly worked across disciplines and with many constituencies to achieve de-institutionalization and the community inclusion of all people with disabilities.