Embracing A Disabled Identity: A Case Study

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The act of “coming out” as disabled, or recognizing and rejecting the socially created assumption that impairment is an undesirable difference and embracing a disabled identity (Cameron, 2014), can have a profound impact on the affective, cognitive and social aspects of the experience of discrimination and stigma
By embracing a disabled identity, a person can control the way they understand disability and become more resilient to the fears associated with being stigmatized. Eliminating the fear of “being discovered” and the anxieties around keeping up appearances as “normal” can decrease the impact of the affective aspect of stigmatization. The threat of potential exclusion or “social death” is minimized, as “coming out” forces those around you to either accept your identity or move on. The act of “coming out” as disabled also impacts the able-bodied people around you by exposing and challenging the hegemonic normalcy, or the assumed …show more content…

As Coleman Brown (2013) argues, “stigmatization occurs only when the social control component is imposed, or when the undesired differentness leads to some restriction in physical and social mobility and access to opportunities that allow an individual to develop his or her potential” (p. 157). Coming out as disabled does not immediately break down physical and social barriers, however, it does allow for a sense of inclusion within the collective disabled identity. Creating social connections with people who see beyond the stereotypes allows for the rejection of the imposed isolation and socially constructed rules and expectations. It also allows for the challenge of hegemonic normalcy within personal interactions as it imposes a social model perspective on the interaction and exposes the fact that their superiority is

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