ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a description of psycho-emotional disablism and the different forms it can take. It explores what the phenomenological concept of the ‘dys-appearing’ body offers to an analysis of psycho-emotional disablism which reveals the relevance of this form of disablism to a sociology of impairment. The chapter highlights the relevance of impairment via cultural prejudices when looking at the experience of psycho-emotional disablism. The concept of psycho-emotional disablism was first introduced by Carol Thomas in her book Female Forms. In other words, disablism can be experienced as two forms of social oppression: structural disablism and psycho-emotional disablism. Direct psycho-emotional disablism arises from relationships that the disabled person has with other people or themselves and is the most important form of psycho-emotional disablism. Psycho-emotional disablism impacts on a person’s emotional well-being and sense of self and therefore can have a cumulative negative impact over time on their self-esteem and self-confidence.
