Power and empowerment in multicultural education: Using the radical democratic model for rehabilitation education

Disability activists and scholars have in recent years called for a sociopolitical approach to rehabilitation services, education, and research. This article considers advantages and disadvantages of 4 different sociopolitical approaches to multicultural studies previously identified by Marable (1995): corporate, liberal, essentialist, and radical democratic. The authors, a teacher and student of a course in multicultural and gender issues in rehabilitation, suggest the use of a radical democratic perspective because this approach acknowledges the need for changes in the power structures of the society. Suggestions are offered for designing a multicultural course using this approach.