Tag Archives: professionals

DISsing the social GGRRAAACCEEESSS (paper with Victoria Jones, 2014)

Jones, V. and Reeve, D. (2014) ‘DISsing the social GGRRAAACCEEESSS’, paper presented at AFT Annual Conference: IRREVERENCE – (Dis)respect, freedoms, loyalty, ethics & survival, Adelphi Hotel, Liverpool, 18-20 September.

Abstract

The “Social GGRRAAACCEEESSS” developed by John Burnham and Alison Roper-Hall (Burnham 1992, 1993, 2011, Roper-Hall 1998, 2008) highlight the social factors that can influence both practitioners and clients. In this mnemonic disability and impairment effects are represented by ‘ability’.

Drawing on the field of Disability Studies and the social construction of disability this workshop will facilitate an exploration of the consequences of the omission of the ‘dis’ of disability. It will be proposed that ‘ability’ serves to deny the psycho-emotional dimensions of both disability and impairment effects that can influence the way disability, identities and roles are constructed by disabled and non-disabled therapists and clients.

Participants will apply the visible-invisible and voiced-unvoiced framework (Burnham, 2012), to disability and impairment and be invited to join a conversation exploring the utility of these ideas in practice and training.

 

The relevance of psycho-emotional disablism for physiotherapists and their patients (paper, 2012)

Reeve, D. (2012) ‘The relevance of psycho-emotional disablism for physiotherapists and their patients’, paper presented at North West Regional Network CSP: AGM and Study Day, Bolton Arena, 21 April.

This paper introduced the concept of psycho-emotional disablism to a room of physiotherapists – drawing on both my academic work and personal experiences of using physiotherapy services.

Psycho-emotional disablism: Implications for clinical psychology (paper, 2010)

Reeve, D. (2010) ‘Psycho-emotional disablism: Implications for clinical psychology’, paper presented at Clinical Psychology seminar, Lancaster University, 1 March.

Paper given to a group of clinical psychology students at Lancaster University.

Psycho-emotional disablism and acts of (mis)recognition: Implications for professional practice (keynote, 2009)

Reeve, D. (2009) ‘Psycho-emotional disablism and acts of (mis)recognition: Implications for professional practice’, paper presented at 4th Cornwall Disability Research Network, Cornwall College, 29 October (keynote).

This key note was an extended version of the earlier NNDR paper. The academic giving the keynote was taken seriously ill and so I was asked to step in at short notice to deliver a paper that would be meaningful to the undergraduate students studying various vocational degrees in the health professions.

Enabling or disabling practice?: Psycho-emotional disablism and acts of (mis)recognition within professional relationships with disabled people (paper, 2009)

Reeve, D. (2009) ‘Enabling or disabling practice?: Psycho-emotional disablism and acts of (mis)recognition within professional relationships with disabled people’, paper presented at 10th Nordic Network on Disability Research, Nyborg, Denmark, 2-4 April.

Abstract

For many disabled people, the effects of impairment mean that health and welfare professionals are involved in their lives on a regular basis. Existing literature drawing on the experiences of disabled people has illustrated the extent to which these professional-disabled people relationships, with their inherently unequal power balance, can be characterised by behaviour which is dismissive, patronising and prejudiced. This paper will discuss examples of psycho-emotional disablism – a form of social oppression which operates along emotional pathways – which were revealed through an analysis of the experiential accounts of people with physical impairments talking about their relationships with a range of professionals.

The inherent power imbalance between professional and disabled client means that psycho-emotional disablism is always potentially in the background. The prevalence of negative images and prejudice about disability within society can influence professional practice; for example a pregnant disabled woman may be offered a termination rather than support because of the assumptions that disabled people are dependent and therefore not able to care for others. I draw on my research data to provide other examples of professional practice which reveal psycho-emotional disablism in operation and show the emotional and practical implications this had for the disabled person. I illustrate the way in which this source of psycho-emotional disablism can also continue to exert an influence on someone’s emotional well-being long after the professional relationship has ended. Examples are also provided of acts of resistance within these relationships which restored a degree of control and power to the disabled person.

I show how important it is that professionals are aware of someone’s ‘disability history’ in order to realise how the long-lasting effects of psycho-emotional disablism can disrupt subsequent relationships with professionals, even when no active disablism is present. Thus a well-meaning professional may interpret the reaction of a disabled person as pathological when in fact it is the result of past experiences of being patronised or devalued.

However there were also examples in my research of good professional practice and I discuss how relatively small actions can have a huge positive impact on the emotional well-being of the disabled person being supported.

Finally I show how better training of professionals to include an awareness of psycho-emotional disablism would mean that they themselves don’t become unwitting oppressors in the relationships with their clients. It is vital that professionals in the health and welfare fields are aware of psycho-emotional disablism and how it can impact on self-esteem and self-worth, if they are to work effectively with disabled people. In addition I reveal how it is possible to reduce/remove this aspect of disablism through attitudinal/behavioural changes which don’t need to cost money, an important consideration in the light of the current crisis in the UK in funding of health and social care services.

Psycho-emotional disablism: A neglected dimension of disability? (keynote, 2008)

Reeve, D. (2008) ‘Psycho-emotional disablism: A neglected dimension of disability?’, paper presented at 3rd Cornwall Disability Research Network, Cornwall College, 27 November (keynote).

This keynote was addressed to a room full of disability studies people and undergraduates training in a range of health-related fields. My aim was to introduce the students in particular to a form of disablism which can be present in the relationships between health professionals and the people they are supporting – not something that usually emerges clearly from social model definitions of disability.

 

Psycho-emotional dimensions of disability within relationships between professionals and disabled people (paper, 2004)

Reeve, D. (2004) ‘Psycho-emotional dimensions of disability within relationships between professionals and disabled people’, paper presented at Disability Studies: Putting Theory Into Practice, Lancaster University, 26-28 July.

Abstract

For many disabled people, the effects of impairment mean that health and welfare professionals are involved in their lives on a regular basis. Existing literature drawing on the experiences of disabled people has illustrated the extent to which these professional-disabled people relationships, with their inherently unequal power balance, can be characterised by behaviour which is dismissive, patronising and prejudiced. This paper explores the psycho-emotional dimensions of disability – a form of social oppression which operates along emotional pathways – as revealed through an analysis of the experiential accounts of people with physical impairments talking about their relationships with a range of professionals.

In this paper, I use these narrative accounts to provide some examples of the psycho-emotional dimensions of disability and discuss the emotional and practical consequences these have on the daily lives of disabled people. I will illustrate the way in which this source of psycho-emotional disablism is often intertwined with impairment effects and psycho-emotional dimensions of impairment – it can also continue to exert an influence on someone’s emotional well-being long after the professional relationship has ended. I will also give examples of acts of resistance within these relationships which restored a degree of control and power to the disabled person.

Finally, I will show how the long-lasting effects of psycho-emotional disablism can disrupt subsequent relationships with professionals, even when no active disablism is present. Thus a well-meaning professional may interpret the reaction of a disabled person as pathological when in fact it is the result of past experiences of being patronised or devalued. It is vital that professionals in the health and welfare fields are aware of the psycho-emotional dimensions of disability and how they impact on self-esteem and self-worth, if they are to work effectively with disabled people.