In this three-volume set, experts from around the world spotlight the latest research on physical and psychological disabilities, as well as the social, legal, and political issues that come to bear on those people affected. These authors teach us what the disabilities are, how common they have become, what challenges people with disabilities face, what treatments are available, and whether new promising efforts for rehabilitation are on the horizon.

We also learn, in these volumes, about social actions that have advanced human rights for people with disabilities in countries around the world. Yet, we learn that in these same countries, discriminatory actions against people with disabilities continue to occur. The impact of different cultural beliefs about disability are explored and these beliefs are juxtaposed against legislative responses. In all three volumes, people with disabilities share their personal narratives about events they have faced in society. They provide rich examples of how culture, social interactions, and legislation can impact on people.

Catherine A. Marshall is a Research Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at Northern Arizona University. She is also an Adjunct Professor at the Centre for National Research on Disability and Rehabilitation at Griffith University in Australia and a Senior Scholar with the University of Arizona National Center of Excellence in Women's Health. Marshall has been involved with rehabilitation research for 20 years, and has worked as a counselor or educator in rehabilitation for 30 years. She is the Founder and President of the Women's International Leadership Institute.

Elizabeth Kendall is Professor of Disability and Community Rehabilitation at Griffith University, and Associate Director of the Disability, Injury and Rehabilitation Program at the Center for National Research on Disability and Rehabilitation Medicine. She has been researching traumatic injury and disability for more 17 years. She completed her PhD on coping following traumatic brain injury and received the Dean's Commendation for Outstanding Thesis in 1997.

Martha E. Banks is a Research Neuropsychologist, and has across 30 years worked as a clinician, researcher and professor. She is a former Professor in the Department of Black Studies at The College of Wooster. Banks is the 2008-2009 President of the Society for the Psychology of Women. A past Chair of the American Psychological Association's Women in Psychology Committee and a member of APA's Council of Representatives, she was presented with an APA Presidential Citation in 2008.

Reva Mariah S. Gover is a writer/consultant. Currently she lives and works in Tucson, Azizona.