International Journal of Disability, Development and Education Vol. 57, No. 2, June 2010, 131–143 ISSN 1034-912X print/ISSN 1465-346X online © 2010 Taylor & Francis DOI: 10.1080/10349121003750489 http://www.informaworld.com Orientations Toward Disability: Differences over the lifecourse Rosalyn B. Darling* and D. Alex Heckert Department of Sociology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, PA 15705, USA Taylor and Francis CIJD_A_475570.sgm 10.1080/10349121003750489 International Journal of Disability, Development and Education 1034-912X (print)/1465-346X (online) Original Article 2010 Taylor & Francis 57 2 000000June 2010 RosalynDarling rdarling@iup.edu This article presents the results of a study of differences in orientation toward disability over the lifecourse. The study was based on an instrument developed by the authors, the Questionnaire on Disability Identity and Opportunity (QDIO). This instrument measures two dimensions of disability: participation and orientation. Orientation, in turn, consists of the dimensions of identity, role, and model. In an earlier study, the QDIO was validated with a convenience sample of 388 people with disabilities in the United States. Using the same data, this article focuses on the association between disability orientation and ageing. Among other findings, we found that age was negatively associated with “disability pride” and positively associated with exclusion. However, the interpretation of these findings is limited by the fact that age was strongly associated with age at disability onset in this sample. The discussion speculates about why older adults are less likely to have been exposed to the “social model” of disability and suggests the value of these findings for interventions with older populations. Keywords: activism; ageing; disability identity; medical model; social inclusion; social model Introduction Disability increases with age. Although most older adults with disabilities have acquired their disabilities later in life, an increasing proportion of the ageing population includes indi- viduals with early-onset disabilities (Verbrugge, 2002). Minkler and Fadem (2002) argue that paradigms of “successful ageing” in gerontology tend to view disability negatively and need to be broadened to include those with pre-existing disabilities who are “ageing well”. However, little research has focused on the correlates of “ageing well” among people with disabilities over the lifecourse. Moreover, as Putnam (2002) suggests, newer, social models of disability need to be integrated into theories of ageing. In this article, we look at the rela- tion between age and disability model, along with the related concepts of social inclusion, identity, and activism. A number of researchers have examined self-perceptions of health status and psycho- logical well-being among the elderly. In general, objective health condition has been found not to be the only factor associated with subjective views. For example, Greenfield and Marks (2007) found that, among adults with functional limitations, continuous participa- tion in recreational and religious groups was associated with higher levels of psychological well-being. Umstattd, McAuley, Moti, and Rosengren (2007) found in a sample of older women that self-efficacy mediated the association between decreased physical function and pessimism. Similarly, Schneider et al. (2004) found within an elderly sample that subjective *Corresponding author. Email: rdarling@iup.edu