Date of Award
5-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
English
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. David Blakesley
Committee Member
Dr. Clare Mullaney
Committee Member
Dr. Cynthia Pury
Committee Member
Dr. Kristen Okamoto
Abstract
This qualitative research study explores how caregivers and persons with disabilities navigate the rhetoric of disability and caregiving through the interviews of fifteen caregivers and fifteen persons with disabilities using the lens of grounded theory and Burke’s (1952) dramatistic pentad. Significant findings describe how focused disability description can circumvent ableism when rhetorical resources that assist caregivers and persons with disabilities to navigate the rhetoric in disability descriptions are provided. Disability description theory includes the three stages that define, collaborate and revise, and practice and apply a disability description. This qualitative research offers an introduction into the phenomenon of disability description with an emphasis on where resources can be located, or what steps can be taken to help caregivers provide or persons with disabilities access rhetorical support. Disability description theory frames the production of a caregiving guide for disability descriptions as a crucial missing resource to determine a disability description style to develop and curate a disability description that assist caregivers and persons with disabilities to claim the rhetorical power and freedom to compose their own narratives, transform their identities, and enhance their lives.
Recommended Citation
Furr, June, "Circumventing Ableism: A Grounded Theory Study Exploring Caregiver Strategies to Promote a Positive Identity" (2023). All Dissertations. 3260.
https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/3260
Included in
Disability Studies Commons, Health Communication Commons, Health Psychology Commons, Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Rhetoric Commons, Social Psychology Commons