Kerschbaum draws on Tobin Siebers to define the "ideology of ability" as a "preference for able-bodiedness" that generates a pervasive fear of disability. This ideology acts as a mechanism that constrains identity by enforcing a contradiction: it requires individuals to imagine that "bodies are of no consequence" while they simultaneously dream that they might "perfect them".

Defining of 'Ideology of Ability'

The discursive construction of disability is deeply influenced by the relationships between interlocutors, noting that these constructions often shift based on who is present in the interaction. Kerschbaum points to Gabriel and Kelley’s study in chapter 6, observing that the student Ethan used his actual relationships with other dyslexic people to support the portrayal of his own experience. Furthermore, she references Wan’s analysis of Xiao-kun in chapter 7, who constructed "abled-ness" and "disabled-ness" differently regarding her hearing aid—which was associated with shame—versus her cochlear implant. However, Kerschbaum emphasizes that this specific construction was not shared uniformly by the other hard-of-hearing women participating in the conversation.

The Role of Relationships

Kerschbaum notes that interactional analyses of disabled people talking to one another are significantly "rarer than accounts in which disabled people navigate interactions" with service providers or researchers. She cites Stinesen et al. in chapter 4 as an example of the latter, arguing that while such studies are important, researchers must recognize that medical practitioners possess different relationships to disability, power, and "forms of embodiment" than disabled peers, factors which fundamentally inform how these interactions are navigated.

Critique of Current Research

- Defining the 'Ideology of Ability'
- The Role of Relationships
- Critique of Current Research

State University of New York at Binghamton

Stephanie L.,Kerschbaum wrote this chapter is a response to the previous empirical chapters (Wan (chapter 7); Gabriel & Kelley (chapter 6); Stinesen et al. (chapter 4)). It synthesizes their findings through a Disability Studies (DS) lens, arguing that Discursive Psychology (DP) must account for the material world and systemic ableism to fully understand how disability is constructed.

Chapter 10 - Engaging Disability Studies (DS) & Discursive Psychology (DP)

Lester, J. N. (Ed.). (2021). Discursive Psychology and Disability. Palgrave Studies in Discursive Psychology. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Reference For: Discursive Psychology and Disability

- The Material Surround
- Evidence from Reviewed Chapters
- Research Implications

Materiality and Discourse

Ideologies of Ableism

- Study 'Crip' Interactions
- Methodological Shifts

Learn Before

Related

Learn After