Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1999

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Laurence J. Coleman

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of the processes by which a select group of women with disabilities have reached a position of subjectivity. Subjectivity is defined as a process of becoming—a process in which women placed on the margin of society define themselves and use power and agency to effect personal change as well as change in others. Women with disabilities are oppressed, perceived and portrayed as roleless, and considered objects of pity and sympathy.

The five women participating in this study have developed critical consciousness about their status in our society, and in so doing have been able to move beyond internalization of society's beliefs and perceptions about them. In order to contradict these perceptions as well as prevalent research methodology, considered "alienated research" by many women with disabilities, this study was constructed with the researcher as coparticipant. The use of first-person narrative provides a position from which I can hear their voices and enter their struggles rather than take the position of the "Other."

Three theories inform this study: the sociopolitical—or minority group model—of disability, critical theory, and feminist theory. A fourth theory, chaos theory, helped me understand the contradictions in the participants' lives. These theories have roots in critical theory and have caused me to examine the social, economic, and political barriers that force people with disabilities into marginal roles.

The five women with disabilities participating in this study were purposefully selected on the basis of existing mutuality and a perception of subjectivity. Mutuality was developed over years of personal and professional experiences. Qualitative research methods, including participant observation, in-depth interviews, and analysis of artifacts, were used to increase my understanding of the processes by which these women have reached a position of subjectivity. For the purposes of this study, I spent an additional three years with them in their homes and in other activities in order to develop a deeper understanding of how living on the margin is a source of strength as well as a place of resistance.

Each woman experienced shame and stigma in her youth because of perceived differences and developed strategies for coping, surviving, and negotiating boundaries. She also had an experience, described as a "catalyst," that caused her to become more aware of the power she has on the margin to resist. In the process of becoming subject, each has experienced communitas, or being part of a nonjudgmental sharing community. Each woman has also learned to use anger and power in new ways as she names the sources of her oppression and rejects words and actions that do not affirm her identity and pride.

This study provides new insight into notions of subjectivity, particularly for women with disabilities. It demonstrates that living with a disability from a position of subjectivity is not about "overcoming." Nor is it about using anger destructively, to exert power over others, or to live independently. Rather, it is learning about the power of interdependence, of living with an obligation to others, of learning to trust others and become vulnerable to their influence, and of learning how to be "constantly and forever adaptive." These women have learned skills for living that can be used by all of us as we learn to live in a world of increasing diversity and decreasing resources.

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