Toward a Clarification of Empowerment as an Outcome of Disability Service Provision

Empowerment has been used widely in the professional literature in recent years to describe both a desirable process, and a desirable outcome, from human service provision. Despite its widespread use, systematic definitions of the term in this literature are not common. This paper provides a conceptual analysis of empowerment as a psychological construct, by reviewing the relevant literature with an emphasis on disability issues. Several key components of empowerment are identified and described, and recommendations for further research to advance empowerment theory are made.