People with physical or intellectual disability are more likely to experience mental ill health and are at higher risk of suicide than people without disabilities.

University of North Texas

This study shares findings from qualitative and arts-based research undertaken with women living in Australia. Body-Maps were used to collect data of outcomes resulting from stigma and discrimination surrounding disabilities (non-specific).

Outcomes of Adverse Experiences for Women with Disabilities

Vaughan, P., Boydell, K., Blayney, A., Hooper, A., Taylor, S., Lenette, C., … Dew, A. (2025). ‘We are mirrored in your gaze’: experiences and outcomes of stigma and discrimination for women with disability and mental distress. Disability & Society, 40(11), 3210–3235. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2025.2470727 

‘We are mirrored in your gaze’: Experiences and Outcomes of Stigma and Discrimination for Women with Disability and Mental Distress.

Risks of Negative Experiences

Several participants, particularly those who used a visible aid, such as a wheelchair, reported feeling that others encountered them as a ‘type’ or as just a physical body rather than a human being with a unique identity and specific needs and desires.

Stigma around Visible Disabilities

Transgender women, and other non-cis feminine-presenting people with mental distress, experience stigma discrimination (and attendant social exclusions, barriers, and threats to safety) at high rates when compared to cis-gendered people with mental illness.

Gender Expression And Stigma

Body mapping is an arts-based research method that involves participants tracing a life-sized outline of their body on a large sheet of paper, then writing down feelings that stem from personal experiences.

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