Several participants in the study have described being treated like a piece of meat, a body on a slab, or a body but not a person.

Examples from Participants

People with disability or mental distress achieve success (such as through academic or professional achievements), it is often seen as unusual or even deviant, with the effort involved in overcoming the absence of adjustments and overt discouragement remaining unrecognized or unacknowledged.

Stigma around Success and Achievement

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.

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.

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.

Risks of Negative Experiences

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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