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"Tell her she's not any different": Family roles in disability identity development
Carlyn Mueller1, Gabriela Puma1, Yazmin Castruita Rios2
1Department of Rehabilitation Psychology & Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Purpose/Objective:
Disability identity development is an essential process that individuals with disabilities engage in to understand the impact of their disability on their sense of self and their ongoing connection to the disability community (Dunn & Burcaw, 2013; Mueller 2021). In this qualitative study, we explored the ways that disability identity is shaped by families.
Research Method/Design:
Drawing from a larger study of youth and adults with disabilities, we discuss a specific population of six women with physical disabilities' meaning-making and reflection on their families' involvement in the development of disability identity. We utilized qualitative interview methodologies, including a life history interview (Plummer, 2001) and a semistructured interview (Merriam, 2009) on the development of disability identity.
Results:
Across participant narratives, there are common threads about how families participated in the development of disability identity for their female children with physical disabilities. The common actions included family members wrestling with disability stigma; intervening on behalf of the daughter in school; emphasizing how the daughter is "just like everyone else; and making connections with the disability community."
Conclusions/Implications:
This study's findings support generating new resources and tools for families and communities who are interested in positive disability identity development, specifically for people with physical disabilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
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