Notions of self: lived realities of children with disabilities

Abstract

To research children’s notions of self, semi‐structured interviews, drawings and focused group discussions were used with 14 children with mobility ‘impairments’ aged 11–16 years. The objective was to capture children’s ‘lived realities’. Findings illuminated immense variation and fluidity in children’s understanding of ‘disability’. Children desired to appear similar to ‘non‐disabled’ children. Most attributed ‘disability’ to existential causes. Parents’ ambivalent attitudes and societal reactions to ‘disabled’ children are discussed. The study points out the unremitting hope and potential of these children, which is often silenced by the overarching ‘negativism’ that surrounds ‘disability’.

Keywords:

• ‘disability’/‘normal’
• mobility ‘impairment’
• self

Notes

1. The term viklang is roughly equivalent to disabled. There is a tendency within the Indian context to use pejorative labels such as langra (cripple) and aandha (blind)