A Thematic Analysis Exploring the Experiences of Ableism for People Living with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Disabled people commonly report experiencing predetermined perceptions and assumptions of disability that form barriers towards understanding and treating disabled people equally. This process is known as ableism; a specific type of ableism called benevolent ableism intends to help and solicit assistance towards disabled people, but instead dismisses their capacity to advocate for their own needs, resulting in help that is deemed overly enforced, assumptive, and unwanted. A focus group and one informal interview were conducted to investigate the views and experiences of people living with cerebral palsy (CP), highlighting how benevolent ableism operates in their own lives, with additional forms of ableism also explored. Thematic analysis (TA) was applied to the data, resulting in three broad themes: benevolent ableism, strategies to improve and reduce ableism, and othering. The findings revealed that benevolent ableism was present when help was assumed, overly requested despite rejections of help, and belittling in nature; positive forms of assistance allowed the person with CP to instigate help and was accommodating; other forms of ableism were encountered, such as invasive staring, being treated like a child, charitable praise, being ignored within the medical setting, and lowered perceptions of capabilities. In order to diminish these difficult experiences and encourage practices, behaviours, and ideologies that promote less prejudice, participants mentioned education and improved interaction as being important aspects. Furthermore, this research poses wider implications for family members, teachers, medical professionals, and the general public to learn appropriate approaches toward disabled people and gain a better understanding of disability.