Disability, Gender and Violence over the Life Course

This is the first book to explore the interplay of disability, gender and violence over the life course from researcher, practitioner and survivor perspectives. It gives due weight to the accounts of disabled children and adults who have survived institutional or individual violence, evidencing barriers to recognition, disclosure and reporting. Written by disabled and non-disabled women from around the world, Disability, Gender and Violence over the Life Course addresses the dearth of voices and experiences of disabled women and girls in empirical research, policy and practice on issues of violence, victimisation, protection, support and prevention. Divided into three parts - Childhood, Adulthood and Older Life - this collection offers diverse perspectives on the intersectionality of disability, age, ethnicity, sexuality and violence that have hitherto been absent. This book will be an invaluable resource for students and practitioners of multiple fields of practice and academic studies, including health and social care, nursing, social work, childhood studies, gender studies, disability studies, safeguarding and child protection, equality and human rights, sociology and criminology.

Sonali Shah graduated with a PhD in Occupational Psychology and Disability in 2002. Since then she has developed a series of innovative projects, supported by prestigious awards and university fellowships on disability issues, human rights and social change. She is author of 3 research monographs and 12 journal articles. Sonali has grown up as a British Indian disabled woman. Caroline Bradbury-Jones is a registered nurse, midwife and health visitor. She holds a position as Reader in Nursing at the University of Birmingham, UK where she leads the Risk, Abuse and Violence Research Programme. Her research focuses primarily on violence against women and girls. Her funded research has included the study of access to maternity services for disabled women who have experienced intimate partner violence.

List of figures and tables; Notes on contributors. Introduction: the context of the book (Sonali Shah and Caroline Bradbury-Jones). Part I: Childhood: Chapter 1: Indigenous mothering and disabled children in regional Australia: a narrative study (Karen Soldatic); Chapter 2: Disclosure of abuse by disabled children: an emergent international model of telling, listening and acting (Christine Jones and Julie Taylor); Chapter 3: Forced marriage and Black Minority Ethnic survivors with learning difficulties in Scotland (Ashley Thompson and Mridul Wadhwa). Part 2: Adulthood: Chapter 4: Creating safer spaces for the empowerment of self-identified disabled women: Reflecting on a study from Iceland (Freyja Haraldsdóttir); Chapter 5: Malaysian disabled women's experiences of healthcare settings: a qualitative study (Aizan Sofia Amin); Chapter 6: Negotiating violence in contexts of poverty in South Africa: an empirical study of disabled women's stories (Theresa Lorenzo and Harsha Kathard); Chapter 7: Fear at home: surviving a quiet black British sexual abuse (Lois Llewellyn). Part 3: Older life: Chapter 8: Elder abuse, ageing and disability: a critical discussion (Bridgit Penhale); Chapter 9: Violation of human rights and elder abuse among older persons with disabilities: a policy review from Europe (Anne-Sophie Parent, AGE Platform Europe). Conclusion: reflections of the editors (Caroline Bradbury-Jones and Sonali Shah). Index