ABSTRACT

Whether or not group membership is valued can have profound social and personal consequences. Throughout history various racial, social, and religious groups have been singled out as unacceptable (Young 1997). The disabled body, and within that context the disabled female body, are often not seen as a “natural” part of the community (Asch and Fine 1997). Indeed space has evolved largely in the absence of disabled people. Examining and reframing perceptions of women with disabilities blends well with the social citizenship understanding of Disability Studies. The reality of disability and impairment in daily life is acknowledged and discussed without becoming fixated on medical conditions. Community, education, and domestic spaces cannot be explored in isolation. Moving beyond the arbitrary borders of public community spaces and private domestic spaces, we are able to recognize linkages and elements that simultaneously impact all of these spaces (Hansen 2002).