Income support and the health of women with disabilities: The dis/abling effects of discourses

Women with disabilities face many barriers to health, including poverty and inequality. Government-administered income support programs are necessary for the survival of many disabled women, yet these programs also create barriers to working, developing abilities and participating fully in activities available to non-disabled people. Sally Kimpson is examining the effects of disability income support policy and programs on women with disabilities. Through in-depth interviews with disabled women, she is studying how they participate in income support programs – including compliance with or resistance to different elements of these programs – and how they learn to participate in society while negotiating constraints related to the programs. Increasing understanding of how disabled women live with income support will help improve policy and programs, which will ultimately benefit women whose health and well-being are closely tied to securing income support.