This booklet, one of 16 designed for use in an Open University Course on the education of handicapped children in the United Kingdom, focuses on ways in which a disability is affected by social factors. Effects of geographic, economic, and cultural conditions are examined. Clinical and sociological perspectives of mental retardation are compared in a discussion of the effects of others' perceptions on a person with a disability. Ways in which schools can contribute to students' educational problems are reviewed, issues of control and conformity addressed, and the nature of labels considered. A final section presents the view of a handicap as a personal event and suggests ways in which people can intervene in their own life and in the lives of others. Readings and activities are suggested throughout. (CL)