Representations of women with disabilities. A discourse analysis of the University of Victoria School of Social Work 323 Anti-Oppressive Praxis Distance Training Manual: Section 17

Theories of anti-oppressive social work address social inequity through social justice perspectives. Recent literature in disability studies and social justice has not been extensively included in social work debate. I locate my research in between these two literatures. I examine how women with disabilities are portrayed in texts used in training undergraduate anti-oppressive social workers. I use an experience-based understanding of knowledge as a feminist social worker and a woman with a disability. The analysis of three texts shows that these particular depictions are wide-ranging though dated, and can unfortunately be mistaken as singularly definitive of all women with disabilities.