ABSTRACT
This chapter applies Black feminist theoretical methodologies of Intersectionality to post-colonial social work in the context of working with women with intellectual disabilities. A case study has been used to deconstruct the experiences of a young woman of Asian heritage with an intellectual disability, living in the United Kingdom as part of a migrant family. The case study will demonstrate that prevalent, dominant legal frameworks and social work models are ill-equipped to respond to the needs of minoritized and racialized women, in a world where intersectional racism reproduces interlocking oppressions. Dominant Western policies and procedures regarding the safeguarding of adults do not explicitly respond to intersectional constructions of subjugation. For example, it is possible to undertake safeguarding interventions regarding a woman with intellectual disabilities who is considered to be at risk of harm, without ever naming racism, classism, dis-ableism, Patriarchy, capitalism and neo-liberalism. Women with intellectual disabilities often experience repeated emotionally distressing discrimination which may lead to trauma manifestations. This chapter is a call for the removal of these pervasive clouds of inequity and the gaining of a clear vision for addressing underlying issues regarding the oppression of racialized and minoritized women.
