In a message dated 27/08/01 14:52:29 GMT Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
>
> I would like to encourage you to persist. Who knows what you may uncover
for
> us all to see. Who knows what we might hear in the recalled voices of the
> perpetrators - thruth? That which we dare not utter? Does the experience
> turn itself to internalised loathing of disabilty? What comlpexities emerge
> from these women's experiences that may otherwise be overlooked by
> counselling interventions? Surely that's worth knowing? From the
> perspective of experiential education, the reflective process takes one
back
> to the experience where they attend to feelings and re-evaluate the
> experience. This is the point at which new insights do occur. It is quite
> likely that the research interview itself could be beneficial to the women
> involved as you say. I don't know whether we can afford to throw the baby
> out with the bathwater.
>
Thanks for your encouragement - I do intend to persevere. Memories of
recalled abuse from perpetrators is certainly disablist, women have expressed
how they've experienced disability-specific abuses. In particular with
regard to verbal abuse ('you should be gassed / 'you shouldn't be allowed to
have children / you should have been killed at birth). As you can see,
abusers draw on socially sanctioned negative disablist discourses as a means
of abusing disabled women. This is where we can explore how the current
hegemonic disablist culture explicitly creates and perpetuates violence
against disabled women (and men).
Moreover, negative cultural discourses which underpin the segregation of
disabled people from non-disabled society have been found to intensify
women's vulnerability to abuse. Participants have talked of how the
structural inaccessibility of non-disabled society militates against them
disclosing abuse, leaving the abusive episode or relationship - not only with
regard to physically removing themselves from the location, but in being
believed when they attempt to disclose abuse. Abusing partners are perceived
as more credible by formal and informal networks compared to their disabled
partners - particularly if their partners are charged with the officially
designated role of carer - often viewed as saintly and caring for performing
this role (though all bar one abusing partner DID NOT perform this role
within the privacy of the home). Again, it appears that members of formal
and informal networks have internalised negative cultural discourses
depicting disabled women as 'less than human' (thus abuse against them not
that inhumane', as incapable of entering into intimate relationships - thus
dv directed toward disabled women simply does not exist; that disabled women
are 'unreliable witnesses' etc etc).
This is a consequence of unequal social relations between disabled and
non-disabled people impacting on micro interactional dynamics between the
disabled and non-disabled women. However, gender is quite a significant
variable - in four cases, abuse has been perpetrated by disabled men against
disabled women - here, I believe it is the gendered inequalities which play a
role in determining these relations - These abusing men were found to have
extremely traditional attitudes regarding gendered role performance. Though
there are disability related components to these abuse perpetrated within
these relationships.
Interestingly, extreme hostility was directed toward participants who became
politicised during the abusive relationship - often perceived to be a
consequence of abusing partners feeling they were losing control over these
participants. These women were assisted in leaving abusive relationships by
disability organisations who introduced them to the social model of
disability - and basically informing women that they were not to blame for
abuse, rather it is the structure and culture of nondisabled society which
erects unequal relationships between disabled and nondisabled, and enables
this abuse to continue.
And you are absolutely spot on ... changes in definitions of disability, in
relationships and of self are frequent in and across interviews - I am
looking at this by exploring the concept of 'career'. I always keep in mind
that I am receiving a story from participants given at a certain point in
time and space, and the information I receive from participants will not be
the same to that given to another person (in time and space).
Best wishes
Pauline
________________End of message______________________
Archives and tools for the Disability-Research Discussion List
are now located at:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
You can JOIN or LEAVE the list from this web page.
|