How adults with cerebral palsy successfully confront and cope with ableism

Richard_Scope

Back in 2024, Scope took part in a study about cerebral palsy (CP) and ableism, alongside Ability First, Cerebral Palsy Australia, Scope Australia, Cerebral Palsy Support Network, CP Achieve, Cerebral Palsy Support Network and Healthy Trajectories.

Purpose

This study focused on how adults with cerebral palsy successfully confronted ableism during encounters with others and successfully coped with ableism in general.

Methods

Adults with cerebral palsy led this critical participatory action research project, in which ten adults with cerebral palsy shared their experiences (via an online survey or interview) of successfully confronting ableism (situations, actions taken, and outcomes) and coping with ableism.

Results

Participants had difficulty recalling successful confrontations due to failing to recognise ableism, ignoring it, or being unsure whether confrontations were successful. Of the 23 situations described, common forms of ableism were denial of privacy, perceived helplessness, and spread effect. Actions taken in successful confrontations were educating perpetrators, being independent, self-advocating or requesting advocacy, attempting to make perpetrators feel uncomfortable, and disengaging with perpetrators (and encouraging others to do similar). Outcomes were changed perpetrator behaviour, apparent changes in perpetrator perceptions, actions to prevent recurrence of ableism, disengagement, changed thinking, and feeling successful. Adults coped with ableism through changing their own thinking about disability and ableism, engaging in everyday activities, seeking social support, and making efforts to change society.

Conclusions

Harnessing this knowledge may assist people with cerebral palsy to challenge the social oppression they face.

Here is the Full Study