Search Results (16)

This systematic literature review provides an extensive synthesis of the empirical, theoretical, and policy research on Black students with disabilities in higher education in Canada and the United States. Grounded in the Preferred Reporting Items to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach, this study incorporates the perspectives of critical race theory, Black feminist thought, disability studies in education, and disability critical race theory to examine racism and ableism as mutual, structuralizing forces. The results indicate that Black students with disabilities experience a spectrum of systemic marginalization across the stages of education, including racialized academic tracking, Eurocentric and inaccessible curriculum, unequal accommodation practices and microaggressions. These barriers are intensified by financial precarity, mental health inequities, and a radical absence of representation in faculty and institutional administrations. The results suggest that institutional approaches frequently isolate race and disability, culminating in policies that overlook intersectional harm. This study concludes that transformative changes must extend beyond compliance-driven diversity and access programs to encompass justice-driven intersectional reforms in pedagogy, policy, funding, and institutional culture. The findings underscore the need to prioritize Black students with disabilities when redesigning higher education systems to foster substantive equity and inclusion. Full article

Access to health care is a fundamental human right established in various legal frameworks worldwide. However, increasing evidence indicates that individuals with physical disabilities in rural Ethiopia continue to face barriers and disparities in accessing health care, leading to unmet needs and worsening health. Guided by Critical Disability Theory and Intersectionality Theory, this instrumental case study explored the barriers to accessing primary health care (PHC) for adults with physical disabilities in rural Ethiopia and examined how disability intersects with poverty, gender, and rurality to shape exclusion. Following purposeful sampling, we conducted 14 interviews and one focus group discussion (n = 7) with adults with physical disabilities, supplemented by PHC facility infrastructure observation. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified intersecting barriers across four domains: physical and environmental barriers, socioeconomic marginalization, socio-cultural stigma and attitudinal barriers, and systemic weaknesses in health service delivery. This revealed that disability-related barriers are rooted in structural ableism and intersecting inequities, underscoring the urgent need for inclusive policies and disability-inclusive practices. Such practices include enforcing accessibility standards, expanding community-based health insurance to cover disability-specific needs, supporting transportation, and providing disability-specific training for health professionals. Implementing these practices is essential to advancing disability rights and ensuring equitable health access in Ethiopia. Full article

Inclusive education is at the forefront of transnational policy agendas. Yet, normative, deficit-oriented disability discourses and institutional gaps continue to shape how inclusion is enacted in schools, often displacing extensive and unacknowledged labour onto families, especially mothers. Drawing on feminist theories of invisible work, this article critically examines the everyday labour performed by mothers of disabled children as they navigate inclusive education systems in Alberta, Canada. Situated within a broader collective case study, this analysis asks: What forms of invisible work do mothers undertake in pursuit of inclusion within education systems labelled as inclusive? Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine mothers of disabled children. Reflexive thematic analysis illuminated four intersecting dimensions of invisible work: (1) working within the system, (2) working to fit the system, (3) crafting system workarounds, and (4) working above and beyond the system. These forms of work reveal how inclusive education systems rely on mothers to bridge the gap between policy rhetoric and lived experiences. Findings illuminate how mothers’ invisible work simultaneously sustains, negotiates, and resists systemic ableism, highlighting the need to recognize and redistribute this work and reimagine inclusion as a shared structural responsibility rather than an individual, maternal pursuit. Full article

Background: Black and racialized immigrants with disabilities in Canada face overlapping systems of exclusion rooted in racism, ableism, and migration status. Yet, their experiences within health and rehabilitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic remain largely undocumented. This study explores how structural inequities shaped access to healthcare, rehabilitation, information, and community supports in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Methods: Using narrative inquiry, ten in-depth interviews were conducted with participants who identified as Black or racialized, disabled, and having immigrated to Canada within the last 10 years. Narratives were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify how systems, relationships, and policies interacted to shape daily life, health and rehabilitation navigation during the pandemic. Results: Participants described systemic barriers in health and rehabilitation systems, experiences of “othering” and conditional belonging, and the critical role of informal and faith-based networks in navigating inaccessible services. Pandemic policies often intensified existing inequities. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for intersectional health and rehabilitation planning that centers the voices of Black and racialized disabled immigrants. Addressing systemic racism and ableism is essential for equitable preparedness in future public health emergencies. Full article

Incivility and civility have been studied for more than a century across disciplines and in many areas ranging from workplaces to communication, the digital world, and everyday life. They are often used to the detriment of marginalized groups. Their negative use is seen to set the groundwork for other negative treatments, such as bullying and harassment, impacting the social climate in a negative way. Ostracism is seen to be linked to incivility. Disabled people disproportionally face negative treatments, such as bullying and harassment, and experience a negative social climate, as highlighted by the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, suggesting that they also disproportionately experience incivility and ostracism. Climate surveys aim to expose toxic social climate in workplaces, schools, and communities caused by incivility, ostracism, bullying, and harassment. As such, how incivility, civility, ostracism, and the design of climate surveys are discussed in the literature is of importance to disabled people. We could find no review that analyzed the use of climate surveys beyond individual surveys and the concepts of incivility and ostracism in relation to disabled people. The objective of our study was to contribute to filling this gap by analyzing the academic literature present in SCOPUS, EBSCO HOST (70 databases), and Web of Science, performing keyword frequency and content analysis of abstracts and full texts. Our findings provide empirical evidence for a systemic neglect of disabled people in the topics covered: from 21,215 abstracts mentioning “civilit*” or “incivilit*”, only 14 were relevant, and of the 8358 abstracts mentioning ostracism, only 26 were relevant. Of the 3643 abstracts mentioning “climate surveys,” 12 sources covered disabled people by focusing on a given survey, but not one study performed an evaluation of the utility of climate surveys for disabled people in general. Racism is seen as a structural problem facilitating civility/incivility. Ableism, the negative judgments of a given set of abilities someone has, and disablism, the systemic discrimination based on such judgments, are structural problems experienced by disabled people, facilitating civility/incivility. However, ableism generated only 2 hits, and disablism/disableism had no hits. Most of our sources focused on workplace incivility, and authors were mostly from the USA. We found no linkage to social and policy discourses that aim to make the social environment better, such as equity, diversity, and inclusion, well-being, and science and technology governance. This is the first paper of its kind to look in depth at how the academic literature engages with the concepts of civility, incivility, and ostracism and with the instrument of social climate surveys in relation to disabled people. Our findings can be used by many different disciplines and fields to strengthen the theoretical and practical discussions on the topics in relation to disabled people and beyond. Full article

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are negative but preventable experiences within family and social environments. Originally focused on abuse and household dysfunction, ACE indicators now include many social factors, such as social determinants of health and racism. Disabled Children and Youth (DCY) are particularly vulnerable to ACEs, whereby different body/mind characteristics and lived realities influence ACE exposures and their impacts differently. Racism is recognized as an ACE and as a risk factor that increases ACE exposures and worsens outcomes. Ableism, the negative judgments of body/mind differences, and disablism, the systemic discrimination based on such judgments, are often experienced by DCY with the same three linkages to ACEs as racism. The objective of this scoping review was to analyze how the ACE academic literature covers DCY and their experiences of ableism and disablism using keyword frequency and thematic analysis approaches. Only 35 sources (0.11%) analyzed DCY as survivors of ACEs. We found limited to no engagement with ableism, disablism, intersectionality, the Global South, family members and other DCY allies experiencing ACEs, and ACEs caused by the social environment, as well as few linkages to social and policy discourses that aim to make the social environment better. More theoretical and empirical work is needed. Full article

Persons with disabilities face barriers to accessing sexuality education. For those who identify as queer, these challenges are compounded by stigma, ableism, and heteronormativity, resulting in distinct and overlooked experiences. This study explored the sexuality education needs of persons with disabilities who identify as queer in Kenya—a neglected demographic—using a phenomenological approach. Data were collected through a focus group discussion with six participants and analyzed thematically. Three themes emerged: invisibility and erasure; unprepared institutions and constrained support networks; and agency and everyday resistance. Educational institutions often overlook the intersectional needs of persons with disabilities who identify as queer, leaving them without adequate tools to navigate relationships, sexuality, and rights. Support systems are often unprepared or unwilling to address these needs. Societal attitudes that desexualize disability and marginalize queerness intersect to produce compounded exclusion. Despite these challenges, participants demonstrated agency by using digital spaces and informal networks to resist exclusion. This calls for policy reforms that move beyond tokenism to address the lived realities of multiply marginalized groups. Policy reform means not only a legal or governmental shift but also a broader cultural and institutional process that creates space for recognition, protection, and participation. Full article

The literature details the healthcare needs of migrant people living with chronic illnesses and the consequent economic, social, and healthcare needs of their caregivers. Similarly, some studies have underscored the social and healthcare needs of 2SLGBTQIA+ (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex individuals, including diverse sexual and gender identities under the “+” symbol) adults living with chronic illnesses and their caregivers. This narrative review presents the context of migrant 2SLGBTQIA+ unpaid caregivers and how their intersecting identities influence their caregiving roles for family members with chronic illnesses. In this article, caregivers are defined as family members or chosen families who provide unpaid support that may last for three months or longer for people living with chronic illnesses. Most studies and policies overlook 2SLGBTQIA+ migrants who are also unpaid caregivers of individuals living with chronic illnesses, leaving them unsupported through discrimination at the intersection of racism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, and ableism, forcing them to remain vulnerable to increased emotional and physical strain. There is a presence of pervasive systemic barriers, including a lack of training and education among social and healthcare providers, about the needs of migrant 2SLGBTQIA+ unpaid caregivers. Additional challenges stem from inadequate policies and insufficient targeted resources, particularly for caregivers from marginalized racial and ethnic backgrounds. The findings of this study highlight the necessity for a call to action to address these gaps and improve support systems for these highly marginalized communities. Full article

Background: Ableism obstructs employment equity for disabled individuals. However, research lacks a comprehensive understanding of how ableism multidimensionally manifests across job types, disability types, stages of employment, and intersecting identities. Objectives: This scoping review examines how ableism affects disabled workers and jobseekers, as well as its impacts on employment outcomes, variations across disabilities and identities, and the best practices for addressing these. Eligibility Criteria: The included articles were 109 peer-reviewed empirical studies conducted in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and Finland between 2018 and 2023. Sources of Evidence: Using terms related to disability, ableism, and employment, the databases searched included Sociology Collection, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Education Source, Academic Search Complete, and ERIC. Charting Methods: Data were extracted in tabular form and analyzed through thematic narrative synthesis to identify study characteristics, ableist barriers within employment, intersectional factors, and best practices. Results: Ableism negatively impacts employment outcomes through barriers within the work environment, challenges in disclosing disabilities, insufficient accommodations, and workplace discrimination. Intersectional factors intensify inequities, particularly for BIPOC, women, and those with invisible disabilities. Conclusions: Systemic, intersectional strategies are needed to address ableism, improve policies, and foster inclusive workplace practices. Full article

Despite advancements in legal protections for people with disabilities in Vietnam, significant barriers to employment persist. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the employment experiences of people with physical disabilities in Vietnam. Semi-structured interviews with 15 participants employed across different sectors were thematically analysed, with the ecological systems theory applied as a guiding framework to interpret the findings and implications. Three primary themes were revealed: accessibility, vulnerability, and discrimination and ableism. The results also emphasised the importance of positive attitudes and interactions from co-workers and supervisors in fostering inclusive workplaces. Recommendations include policy reforms for attitudinal shifts, focus on equity to improve workplace culture, and the involvement of people with disabilities in organisational decision making. These actions are essential for creating more diverse and inclusive workplaces in Vietnam, where employees with physical disabilities feel included, valued, and empowered. Full article

The Inclusive Early Childhood Service System (IECSS) project is a longitudinal institutional ethnography that studies disability services in early childhood, and the interactions between these services and other systems, from the standpoint of families. In this paper, we examine speech-language services as part of a system of services and a site of participation for disabled children. We use longitudinal data from annual interviews with 117 informants to map Speech and Language services over the first six years of children’s lives. We report that speech and language pathology (SLP) as a professional discourse holds cultural significance and influences the organization of disabled children and their families. The analysis of the data illustrates the pervasiveness, organizational structure, and governance of speech and language pathology (SLP) in early childhood, leading to professional discourses of childhood and disability in early intervention, preschool, and school-based services which reinforce individualized pathology as the dominant way of understanding development. We discuss how the professional practices of SLP-related services could help to disrupt disabling constructs of childhood development and colonial practices in early childhood disability services. We emphasize how speech and language development emerges in relationship with individuals and socio-political contexts. We suggest possibilities for SLP to operate within community contexts where speech and language services contribute to reducing family workload, increasing the participation of all children, and disrupting ableism in practice. Full article

People with lived experience of disability have poorer health and socioeconomic outcomes than people without it. However, within this population, certain social groups are more likely to experience poorer outcomes due to the impacts of multiple intersecting forms of oppression including colonisation, coloniality and racism. This paper describes the multidimensional impacts of inequities for Indigenous tāngata whaikaha Māori (Māori with lived experience of disability). Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 28 tāngata whaikaha Māori and their whānau (extended family) using a kaupapa Māori Research methodology. An equity framework was used to analyse the data. The results describe: (1) inequitable access to the determinants of health and well-being; (2) inequitable access to and through health and disability care; (3) differential quality of health and disability care received; and (4) Indigenous Māori-driven solutions. These data confirm that tāngata whaikaha Māori in the nation-state known as New Zealand experience racism, ableism and disablism, compounded by the intersection between these types of discrimination. Recommendations from the data support the inclusion of tāngata whaikaha Māori in decision-making structures, including all policies and practices, along with equal partnership rights when it comes to designing health and disability systems and services. Full article

(1) Background: African American women breast cancer survivors face unique experiences that impact their quality of life as they transition beyond treatments. Experiences may be complicated by living at the intersection of systemically oppressed identities, including gender, race, social class, and cancer-related disability. Using the Black Feminist Thought (BFT) framework and the PEN-3 cultural model, this qualitative study sought to: (a) understand African American women breast cancer survivors’ lived experiences; (b) examine how the multiple intersecting factors of race, gender, social class/socioeconomic status, and cancer-related disability impact their quality of life; and (c) inform future health promotion programming that is culturally relevant to AAWBCS to improve their quality of life. (2) Methods: Seven focus groups were conducted with 30 African American breast cancer survivors in a Midwestern metropolitan region. Focus groups were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Framework analyses were conducted to identify themes with NVivo qualitative analysis software. (3) Results: Four themes emerged: (a) caregiving roles provide both support and challenges for survivors, (b) the “strong Black woman” is inherent in survivor experiences, (c) intersectionality impacts survivorship, and (d) African American women resist oppression through culturally specific supports and advocacy. (4) Conclusions: The intervention point of entry should be at the peer support group level and centered on family and provide community-based support and services. Future research should move upstream to address social determinants of health, including racism, sexism, and ableism; there is a critical need to discuss how structural racism affects health care and develop interventions to address racial discrimination and racial bias in health care. Full article

We use Stanley Cohen’s moral panic framework to examine concerns about fake service animals and to illuminate processes of intersectionality that shape our social relations and systems. Applying Critical Animal Studies and Critical Disability Theory, we examine media reports about fake service animals in North America to explore how these anxieties constitute a moral panic, the interests at work, and underlying ideology that motivates outrage about animals considered to be out of place. We found that classifying other animals as legitimate or not affects those animals but also impacts humans. The findings indicate that speciesist representations and restrictions imposed on nonhuman animals maintain ongoing discrimination against humans with disabilities. The study reveals how speciesism sustains ableism and advances particular economic interests. Thus, we encourage expanding research ontology to examine speciesist power relations in intersectional analysis to dismantle ableist oppressive relationships and achieve trans-species social justice (social justice beyond humans). Full article

While the scale and scope of the criminal legal system is often discussed with attention to racial disproportionalities, the fact that disabled people are overrepresented at all points in the system is less discussed by social workers. Disabled people come into contact with the criminal legal system as suspects, defendants, incarcerated persons, victims, and witnesses. Compared to people without disabilities, disabled people are more likely to experience victimization, be arrested, be charged with a crime, and serve longer prison sentences once convicted. These trends are even more profound for disabled people with intersecting marginalized identities, such as people of color, women, poor people, and those who identify as LGBTQ. This article provides an overview of the connections between disability, law enforcement, and practices of imprisonment in the United States. We provide a historical overview of the involvement of disabled people in the criminal legal system, review the prevalence of disability in the criminal legal system, and then discuss the unique ways in which disabled people are impacted by the criminal legal system. We conclude by providing recommendations for social work practice and advocacy based in disability justice. Full article