Disability as a Social Kind?

Focusing on Sally Haslanger’s conceptual framework, where ‘gender’ and ‘race’ are perceived as social kinds, the paper reconstructs Haslanger’s view, subsequently extending her analysis to the realm of ‘disability.’ The central thesis posits that ‘disability,’ akin to ‘gender’ and ‘race,’ can be understood as a social kind, asserting that disability involves systemic subordination marked by perceived bodily impairments. The paper addresses several objections, including the natural kind standpoint and the claim of disability as a valuable cultural kind. Furthermore, it grapples with Haslanger’s non-reductive and politically engaged stance by examining whether disabilities, despite their inherent physical and mental impairments, comprise social constructs with profound normative implications.