
"Not wishing to be the white rhino in the crowd" : disability-disclosure at University
- Author
- Inge Blockmans (UGent)
- Organization
- 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, doi:10.1177/0261927X14548071.
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X14548071
- 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. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X14548071.
- 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. doi:10.1177/0261927X14548071.
- 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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