What metric of justice for disabled people? Capability and disability

Abstract

This chapter argues that a metric based on Sen's capability approach suggests a more promising, and to a certain extent, more just scheme, than one based on social primary goods. It is divided into two sections. In the first section, the chapter discusses the main elements of the primary goods metric in relation to disability. The second section outlines the capability metric and comparatively considers its merits over the "rival" approach. John Rawls broadly defines social primary goods as those "all-purpose means" and resources that free and equal moral persons need for "carrying out their plans in life". While disabilities caused by social factors receive attention under the social primary goods metric, those resulting from natural causes, such as "any combination of ordinary genetic variations, self-caused factors, and differential luck" are more problematic, and give rise to different and more controversial responses.

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