Love and resistance of mothers with intellectual disability from ethnocultural communities in Canada. Issue 3 (1st March 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pacheco, Laura; McConnell, David
• Other Names: McConnell David guestEditor.; Feldman Maurice guestEditor.; Aunos Marjorie guestEditor.
• Is Part Of: Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities. Volume 30:Issue 3(2017:May)
• Page Start: 501
• Page End: 510
• Publication Date: 2017-03-01
• Subjects: ethnocultural -- intellectual disability -- intersectionality theory -- mothers -- narratives -- resistance; Learning disabilities -- Periodicals; Mental retardation -- Periodicals; Learning disabled -- Periodicals; People with mental disabilities -- Periodicals; 616.85880072
• DOI: 10.1111/jar.12342
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1360-2322

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Mothers with intellectual disability are thought to be passive, dependent and in need of protection. This study contributes to a nascent body of research that challenges this schema, revealing how women with intellectual disability who are mothers resist oppression. Methods: Narrative research methods underpinned by intersectionality theory were used to explore the lives of eight mothers with intellectual disability from various ethnocultural communities in Canada. A total of 33 in‐depth interviews were conducted with these eight women over a period of 2 years. Results: The lives of the women who took part in this study were marked by violence. The women resisted. Their resistance strategies addressed two kinds of relationships: their relationships with others and their relationship with themselves. Conclusion: The women in this study employed strategies of resistance, sometimes at great personal cost, to provide their children with a better life.