Kerschbaum argues that discourse extends beyond spoken or written language to encompass material objects, body language, and physical environments. By integrating perspectives from materialist disability studies and critical phenomenology, the author offers a theoretical counterbalance to purely social constructionist models, arguing that the material world serves as an "active co-participant" in the construction of disability. This approach insists on recognizing the "shared world-making" that occurs between material realities and social constructions.

The Material Surround

Kerschbaum uses these studies to illustrate how the material world actively participates in constructing disability. She highlights Wan’s analysis in chapter 7, where hearing assistive devices and cochlear implants fundamentally shape the nature of social interactions, while noting that Gabriel and Kelley demonstrate in chapter 6 how "invisible" disabilities like dyslexia become visible through material factors such as classroom behaviors, time constraints, and affective responses like frustration. Furthermore, she points to Stinesen et al.’s findings in chapter 4, observing that patients distinguish between a "willing mind" and a "disabled body," a separation enforced by the embodied experience of pain preventing physical action.

Evidence from Reviewed Chapters

Kerschbaum suggestions that bringing materialist disability studies together with discursive psychology invites new questions regarding how "material artifacts comprise the analytic scene" and participate in discursive constructions. Consequently, she suggests that researchers must expand their analytic attention to include elements such as "eye contact and gaze, bodily orientations," and "recording technologies" to fully understand how disability is negotiated.

Research Implications

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

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

Materiality and Discourse

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

Ideologies of Ableism

- Study 'Crip' Interactions
- Methodological Shifts

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