Lines of development in social research on disability in Finland between the years 1970–2010

This article reviews the development of social research on disability conducted in Finland during the 40-year period from 1970 until 2010. The main focus is the connection of the research with the socioeconomic development of the country. The review starts from the emergence of a new disability service paradigm during the late 1960s. This new paradigm centred around the concept of rehabilitation, and had its roots in the birth of a postmodern welfare state during the same decade. The second shift began during the 1980s and was characterized by the precedence of human rights issues. Both of these changes paralleled international developments, but equally had their roots in the Finnish post-war society. Along with these changes the predominant metaphor of a disabled person shifted from a criminal to a sick person, and finally, to a citizen, manifesting three successive service paradigms. Based on extensive screening on the available databases, the article reviews typical studies from different time periods and research orientations and discusses some pertinent topics around Finnish research.