Intersection of discriminations: Experiences of women with disabilities with advanced degrees in professional sector in the United States.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: Women with disabilities are typically expected to work in underpaid positions and earn much less when compared with men with disabilities or women without disabilities. In this study, we interviewed women who are at the other end of this spectrum-women with disabilities who were engaged in a high-skilled professional sector. We report their lived experiences and how the intersections of their identities impact, contradict, and collide with the aforementioned assumption. We use feminist disability theory and Crenshaw's theory of intersectionality to inform our research. Research Method/Design: In-depth semistructured qualitative interviews adopting a phenomenological framework were conducted with 37 women with disabilities who hold advanced degrees and work in higher-paying professions. RESULTS: Some of the themes generated from our analysis of the interviews included isolation and hopelessness, a sense of tokenism or de-legitimization, limitations of provided accommodations, the intersection of gender and disability, and how multiple layers of identity fuel marginalization. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: Despite their success in placement, women with disabilities in the United States still experience numerous barriers in professional sectors. It is imperative to better understand the implications of intersectionality and how discrimination and marginalization can also impact those with successful employment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Childhood Disability-Related Abuse: A Retrospective Proof-of-Concept Study.

Although the phenomenon of disability-related abuse has been well-documented in adults with disabilities, the occurrence of disability-related abuse in childhood has not been studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish proof of concept for childhood disability-related abuse. American adults (n = 485) retrospectively report on physical, sexual, and disability-related abuse that they experienced before the age of 18. The sample consisted of 382 participants with no disability, 55 participants with an adult-onset disability, and 48 participants with a childhood-onset disability. Disability-related abuse was conceptualized as involving either (a) the denial of assistive technology or (b) the denial of care, permission, or assistance with an activity of self-care. Childhood denial of assistive technology was rare in all groups (1.3%-2.1%), but denial of care, assistance, or permission was significantly higher in the childhood-onset disability group (20.8%) than either the adult-onset (7.3%) or no-disability (6.5%) groups. The three groups did not significantly differ in the rates of reported childhood physical or sexual abuse. This study provides preliminary proof-of-concept evidence for childhood disability-related abuse, particularly denial of care.

Development and initial validation of the Clinician Attitude Toward Violence Affecting Women With Disabilities (CAVAWD) Scale: An exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: The study aim was to develop and psychometrically assess an instrument to measure clinician attitude and competence in understanding violence affecting women with disabilities. METHOD: Data were collected from 419 clinicians with a master's degree or higher. Once collected, data was split randomly into two equal groups. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the first half of the data (n = 209) and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on the second half of the data (n = 210) to establish construct validity. The draft instrument thus generated was designated as the Clinician Attitude Toward Violence Affecting Women With Disabilities (CAVAWD) Scale, which includes 4 factors (perception of problem, training competency, screening and reporting competency, and policy awareness). These four factors loaded on 40 items, with an overall Cronbach's alpha of 0.898 and McDonald's omega of 0.903, explaining 58.7% of the total variance. RESULTS: Initial psychometric assessment of CAVAWD showed good reliability and consistent construct validity through 4 moderate to highly loaded factors that are interpretable and parsimonious. CONCLUSION: Further testing is needed; however, at present, the CAVAWD may be potentially useful to evaluate and measure counselor attitude, competency, and understanding of violence affecting women with disabilities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

"It's Awful When We Get It Wrong": An Exploratory Qualitative Study of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors' Perspectives on Suicide.

Despite the high prevalence of suicide among people with disabilities, little research has explored suicide in the context of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) system. We analyzed the responses of 27 VR counselors who responded to an open-ended qualitative prompt regarding their experiences with suicide training and competency. Key themes included a desire for more training on suicide and the experience of seeking and receiving suicide training and experience outside of VR. Responses also underscored the heavy emotional impact of working with suicidal clients, especially when one feels unprepared to do so. These results suggest that it is important to provide VR counselors with resources and training for addressing suicide in their client populations.

"I Honestly Would Not Have Known What to Do": An Exploratory Study of Perspectives on Client Suicide Among Vocational Rehabilitation Support Staff.

Despite the high prevalence of suicide both overall and among people with disabilities in particular, little research has explored suicide in the context of the vocational rehabilitation (VR) system or in counseling support staff in general. We analyzed the responses of 14 VR support staff who responded to an open-ended qualitative prompt regarding their experiences with suicide training and competency. Key themes included a perceived lack of and desire for more training regarding suicide, seeking and receiving suicide training outside of VR, and a perceived lack of resources for working with suicidal clients. Responses also underscored the heavy emotional impact of working with these clients, especially when one feels unprepared to do so. These results suggest that it is important to provide VR support staff with resources and training for addressing suicide in their client populations.