FEMINIST THEORY

B Y : J O S I E ,

K R Y S T A L , &D I A N A

DISABILITIES

A disability is defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act

(ADA) as

“A person who 1. has a physical or

mental impairment that limits one or

more major life activities OR 2. has a

record of such an impairment”

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF DISABILITIES?

Mobility and physical impairments

Spinal cord

Head injuries

Vision

Hearing

Cognitive or learning

Psychological

According to the Census Bureau 1 in 5 people have

a disability

CHALLENGES FOR THE FAMILIES

• Caretaking demands and maintaining family harmony

• Finding resources for proper medical care and financial

difficulties

• Support from extended family and friends

CHALLENGES FOR THE PERSON WITH THE DISABILITY

Children

Getting accommodations in school settings

Adults

Pursuing a higher education

Employment

Long-term independent living

Seniors

Need for in-home assistance

REGAINING FREEDOM

http://www.sundancechannel.com/series/push-girls/videos/angela-hits-the-road-push-girls-episode-5-season-2-clip

MYTHS

People with disabilities always

need help

Under the ADA, employers must

give people with disabilities

special privileges

People who are deaf make ideal

employees in noisy work

environments

People who are blind acquire a

"sixth sense.”

Disabilities are always visible

RESOURCES

• Department of Rehabilitation:

http://www.rehab.cahwnet.gov/index.asp

• Services for people with disabilities nationwide:

http://nichcy.org/state-organization-search-by-state

• Services for people with Disabilities in California

http://www.ca.gov/HomeFamily/PersonsWithDisabilities.html

• Rehabilitation, health care for low-income families, early interventions, workshops for parents, and services within each type of disability

• Resources for adults in higher education, independent living, recreational activities/support, and employment

**Referrals through doctors

TYPES OF FEMINISM AND IT’S ROOTS

Liberal Feminism

Type of mainstream feminism that works to integrate women into society. Its

roots stretch back to the social contract theory of government instituted by

the American Revolution.

Radical Feminism

Radical feminism was the cutting edge of feminist theory from approximately

1967-1975. It is no longer as universally accepted as it was then, nor does

it provide a foundation for cultural feminism.

However, Radical feminism is actually the breeding ground for many of the

ideas arising from feminism; ideas which get shaped and pounded out in

various ways by other (but not all) branches of feminism

Reference: The University of Alabama in Huntsville. (n.d.)

Kinds of Feminism.

TYPES OF FEMINISM AND IT’S ROOTS

Marxist and Socialist Feminism

Marxism recognizes that women are oppressed, and attributes the oppression to the capitalist/private property system. Thus they insist that the only way to end the oppression of women is to overthrow the capitalist system.

Socialist feminism is the result of Marxism meeting radical feminism.

Cultural Feminism

As various 1960s movements for social change fell apart or got co-opted, folks got pessimistic about the very possibility of social change; so many turned their attention to building alternatives, so that if they couldn't change the dominant society, they could avoid it as much as possible.

Cultural Feminism emerged after Radical Feminism died out as a movement.

The difference between cultural and radical feminism is that radical feminism was a movement to transform society, cultural feminism retreated to vanguardism, working instead to build a women's culture. While many cultural feminists have been active in social issues as individuals, not as part of a movement.

Reference: The University of Alabama in Huntsville. (n.d.)

Kinds of Feminism.

TYPES OF FEMINISM AND IT’S ROOTS

Eco-Feminism

This branch of feminism is much more spiritual than political or theoretical in

nature.

Its basic tenet is that a patriarchal society will exploit its resources without

regard to long term consequences as a direct result of the attitudes fostered

in a patriarchal/hierarchical society.

Parallels are often drawn between society's treatment of the environment,

animals, or resources and its treatment of women.

DEAF DAVID : MY THOUGHTS ON MY LIFE OF DEAFNESS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AScHIfF0SoQ

GOAL OF FEMINIST THERAPY

Empowerment

TECHNIQUES OF FEMINIST THERAPY

• Egalitarian Relationship

• Conscious Raising

• Gender-Role and Power Analysis

• Self-Disclosure

• Bibliotherapy

• Assertiveness Training

• Reframing and Relabeling

• What is something powerful you have done?

• Invite the client to…

• Can use any technique from any theory as long as it is empowering

Radical Feminism, by Anne Koedt (1973) .

Daring to be Bad, by Alice Echols (1989).

Feminist Frameworks: Alternative Theoretical

Accounts of the Relations Between Women and

Men, by Alison M. Jaggar and Paula S.

Rothenberg (1993).

The Rejected Body: Feminist Philosophical

Reflections on Disability, by Susan Wendell

(1996).

Feminist Therapy (Theories of Psychotherapy)

By: Laura S. Brown (2009).

Feminism is Queer: The Intimate Connection

between Queer and Feminist Theory, by Mimi

Marinucci (2010).

Feminist Disability Studies by Kim Q. Hall (2011).

POINTS OF INTEREST

• Feminist therapist avoid formal assessment, diagnosing is a

collaborative effort.

• Psychopathology = Distress and behavioral dysfunction

• Encourage clients to question the therapist

• Fee setting = Sliding scale

• How your office is set up, what message are you sending?

REFERENCES

Brault, Matthew, (2012). Americans with Disabilities: 2010. Retrieved from

http://www.census.gov/prod/2012pubs/p70-131.pdf

Bitter, J. (2009). Theory and practice of family therapy and counseling. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole,

Cengage Learning.

Brown, L. (2010). Feminist Therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Emerson, E. (2003). Mothers of children and adolescents with intellectual disability: social and economic

situation, mental health status, and the self-assessed social and psychological impact of the child's

difficulties. Journal Of Intellectual Disability Research, 47(Parts 4/5), 385-399. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-

2788.2003.00498.x

Fujiura, G. (2010). Aging families and the demographics of family financial support of adults with

disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Studies, 20(4), 241-250. doi: 10.1177/1044207309350560

Keller, D. and Honig, A. S. (2004), Maternal and paternal stress in families With school-aged children with

disabilities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 74: 337–348. doi: 10.1037/0002-9432.74.3.337

Myths and facts about people with disabilities. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.in.gov/spd/files/Myth.pdf

The University of Alabama in Huntsville. (n.d.) Kinds of Feminism. Retrieved on July 15 from:

Http://www.uah.edu/woolf/feminism_kinds.htm