Understanding positive subjectivities made possible online for disabled people

Argues that the ideology of individualism and a reliance on visual ontology have influenced psychology and Western culture to undervalue people with disabilities. Discusses, in the tradition of discursive psychology, alternative frameworks for social positioning provided by the online experience for people with disabilities. With reference to a study of disabled participants interviewed online, identifies the key linguistic resources of uncontaminated judgement, exhibiting strengths and operating independently and shows how barriers preventing people with disabilities from displaying their capabilities are eliminated online, giving them the opportunity for a more socially valued subjectivity and a more positive identity. Source: National Library of New Zealand Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, licensed by the Department of Internal Affairs for re-use under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 New Zealand Licence.