Positive Approaches to Overcoming the Stigma of Disability

Authors

Noel A. Ysasi
Roy K. Chen, The University of Texas Rio Grande ValleyFollow
Megan E. Jones

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2018

Abstract

People with disabilities often face prejudice and discrimination because of their physical and/or mental deviance from norms subjectively defined by society. The stigma associated with having a disability can have a negative impact on the quality of life among this population. The purpose of this paper is to discuss theory-based strategies and approaches that people with disabilities can adopt to overcome and mitigate the adverse effects of a stigmatizing disability. Specifically, the paper uses the hope theory and positive psychology theory as foundations to pave way for weaving spiritual well-being, resilience, and optimism into psychoeducation efforts to help people with disabilities reconstruct their schemas toward the self-acceptance of disability and the empowerment of their rights to advocate for full integration in society.

Comments

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Ysasi, N. A., Chen, R. K., & Jones, M. E. (2018). Positive approaches to overcoming the stigma of disability. Journal of Disability Studies, 4(1), 3-8.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.