Community perspective: How volunteers,professionals, families and the general population construct disability: Social,clinical and health implications

Background

This research deals with the way people create discourses around disability, which shape the community's concept of disability.

Objective

The purpose of this article is to find out how the community configures "disability", in particular by understanding the ideas, needs and strategies that the community uses towards people with disabilities. Specifically, different roles have been involved, such as professionals, volunteers, family members and citizens. The final aim is intervening on the discourses that can contrast the full personal fulfilment of people with disabilities and social inclusion.

Methods

This paper relates to discursive psychology's theoretical references and makes use of the Methodology of Textual Analysis. The tools we used include investigation protocols specially designed to detect text both through manual "pencil and paper" and computerized denominations.

Results

The results show that those who are in direct contact with people with disabilities (volunteers and family members) are more exposed to treating them as disabled, making the deficit coincide with the person and also have a more judgemental approach.

Conclusions

From the results obtained we can see which practices can be activated to facilitate the network between the various roles in order to implement inclusive interventions and help those more exposed to prejudices.