"Not wishing to be the white rhino in the crowd" : disability-disclosure at University
- Author
- Inge Blockmans (UGent)
- Abstract
- This article reports on a qualitative study identifying the drivers for and boundaries to disability-disclosure in interability interactions as experienced by 13 students with physical impairments at five Belgian higher education institutions. Through surveys and in-depth interviews, the study explored whether the students experience, prefer, and expect differences in communication about their impairments with temporarily able-bodied peers, instructors, and staff. Interviews provided insight into the nuances of disclosure and topic avoidance decisions that differ by disclosure target: disabilitydisclosure is mainly a balancing act between fulfilling physical needs and maintaining a normal, positive identity. The visibility of impairments seems to play a minor role in the students’ initial orientation toward disclosing. The functions of disability-disclosure as posited by the Communication Predicament of Disability Model and the CARE-keys to effective interability communication (i.e., Contact, Ask, Respect, Empathy) are discussed as well as the implications of the findings for Communication Accommodation Theory.
- Keywords
- interability communication, communication accommodation theory (CAT), communication predicament of disability, communication privacy management theory (CPMT), CARE, disability, ableism, stigma, self-disclosure, topic avoidance, qualitative research, thematic analysis
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-5837887
- MLA
- Blockmans, Inge. “‘Not Wishing to Be the White Rhino in the Crowd’ : Disability-Disclosure at University.” JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, edited by Howard Giles, vol. 34, no. 2, 2015, pp. 158–80.
- APA
- Blockmans, I. (2015). “Not wishing to be the white rhino in the crowd” : disability-disclosure at University. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, 34(2), 158–180.
- Chicago author-date
- Blockmans, Inge. 2015. “‘Not Wishing to Be the White Rhino in the Crowd’ : Disability-Disclosure at University.” Edited by Howard Giles. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 34 (2): 158–80.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Blockmans, Inge. 2015. “‘Not Wishing to Be the White Rhino in the Crowd’ : Disability-Disclosure at University.” Ed by. Howard Giles. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 34 (2): 158–180.
- Vancouver
- 1.Blockmans I. “Not wishing to be the white rhino in the crowd” : disability-disclosure at University. Giles H, editor. JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY. 2015;34(2):158–80.
- IEEE
- [1]I. Blockmans, “‘Not wishing to be the white rhino in the crowd’ : disability-disclosure at University,” JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 158–180, 2015.
@article{5837887,
abstract = {This article reports on a qualitative study identifying the drivers for and boundaries to disability-disclosure in interability interactions as experienced by 13 students with physical impairments at five Belgian higher education institutions. Through surveys and in-depth interviews, the study explored whether the students experience, prefer, and expect differences in communication about their impairments with temporarily able-bodied peers, instructors, and staff. Interviews provided insight into the nuances of disclosure and topic avoidance decisions that differ by disclosure target: disabilitydisclosure is mainly a balancing act between fulfilling physical needs and maintaining a normal, positive identity. The visibility of impairments seems to play a minor role in the students’ initial orientation toward disclosing. The functions of disability-disclosure as posited by the Communication Predicament of Disability Model and the CARE-keys to effective interability communication (i.e., Contact, Ask, Respect, Empathy) are discussed as well as the implications of the findings for Communication Accommodation Theory.},
author = {Blockmans, Inge},
editor = {Giles, Howard},
issn = {0261-927X},
journal = {JOURNAL OF LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY},
keywords = {interability communication,communication accommodation theory (CAT),communication predicament of disability,communication privacy management theory (CPMT),CARE,disability,ableism,stigma,self-disclosure,topic avoidance,qualitative research,thematic analysis},
language = {eng},
number = {2},
pages = {158--180},
title = {"Not wishing to be the white rhino in the crowd" : disability-disclosure at University},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0261927X14548071},
volume = {34},
year = {2015},
}
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