Disability & Society · 2009 · 42 citations · 27 references
Social SciencesHuman DevelopmentSpecial EducationDisabilityPediatric DisabilitySelfChildren With DisabilitiesDefinition Of DisabilityDisability IdentityDisability Studies TheoryPsychosocial Aspects Of DisabilitySocial Model Of DisabilityDisability EmbodimentDisability ExperienceDisability Identity FormationDisability Self-representationDisabled EmbodimentFocus Group DiscussionsLived BodySocietal Acceptance
To research children’s notions of self, semi‐structured interviews, drawings and focused group discussions were used with 14 children with mobility ‘impairments’ aged 11–16 years. The objective was to capture children’s ‘lived realities’. Findings illuminated immense variation and fluidity in children’s understanding of ‘disability’. Children desired to appear similar to ‘non‐disabled’ children. Most attributed ‘disability’ to existential causes. Parents’ ambivalent attitudes and societal reactions to ‘disabled’ children are discussed. The study points out the unremitting hope and potential of these children, which is often silenced by the overarching ‘negativism’ that surrounds ‘disability’.
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