Stages of Acceptance of A Learning Disability: The Impact of Labeling

Abstract

The research described here is part of a 20-year longitudinal project tracing the lives of a group of 41 individuals with learning disabilities. The article enumerates a small piece of the qualitative findings obtained using an ethnographic approach that emphasized the “emic,” or insider's, perspective. Since several of the research questions addressed patterns of change over time, portions of the interview focused on changes in past and present attitudes, emotions, conceptions and meanings related to the learning disability. A salient notion emerged from participants' narratives, which they described as “acceptance of the learning disability.” Further analysis revealed a shared set of understandings concerning distinct stages of “coming to terms” with the technical realities of their disability and with the social/emotional impact of being labeled. These included (a) awareness of their “differentness”; (b) the labeling event; (c) understanding/negotiating the label; (d) compartmentalization; and (e) transformation.

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