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Disability and the Psychology of Political Participation

Department of Labor Studies and Employment Relations, Rutgers University

What can disability teach us about the psychology of political participation ? Disability highlights issues of personal control and identity, which are important in the disability rights movement and are also linked to political participation in general. This study uses in-depth interviews and written questionnaires to examine these issues among 64 people— both political activists and nonactivists—who have spinal cord injuries (SCI's). It explores the connections among political involvement, locus of control, personal efficacy, experiences of stigma and discrimination, and views of disability. The interviews reveal a wide variety of responses to SCI, some discouraging but others encouraging political involvement. Political participation is discouraged by isolation and decreased resources that contribute to fatalism, as well as by efforts to "normalize" and distance oneself from others with disabilities, or by a focus on self-help following SCI. The political activists—some of whom had such responses in the past— have lived with their injuries for a longer time on average than other interviewees. Thus, they have had more opportunity to come to terms with SCI, join disability groups, learn about disability issues, and go through a gradual process of politicization. Partly as a result of political work, activists are more likely to perceive discrimination and stigma and to express a greater sense of personal control and efficacy. Their experiences show that social context and circumstances are important in who becomes politically active, indicating that outreach policies of disability organizations can play a large role in creating conditions that encourage political participation.

Journal of Disability Policy Studies, Vol. 9, No. 2, 3-31 (1998)
DOI: 10.1177/104420739800900202


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