Today I would've been presenting my paper at the BSA, so here is a thread with a couple of points that I would have discussed #britsoc2020 #phd @CDSLeeds @SSPLeeds 1/10

Within society, there are particular assumptions about what a human body/mind can do and how it works. Many scholars in disability studies have highlighted the dis/ableist nature of these assumptions and the real impacts of these on the lives of disabled people 2/10 #britsoc2020

For example, there is an assumption that we all think in a particular way and, if we don't, we are labelled as having an impairment. This creates discrimination towards autistic people, people with learning difficulties, and survivors of the psychiatric system (among others) 3/10

This discrimination is not always overt... It can be subtle and it can occur subconsciously. So, it is important for us all to be aware of the biases that our dis/ableist society can instil in us. None of us can be truly free from these influences... 4/10 #britsoc2020 #phd

What does this mean for practice? It can mean that staff strive to get residents to be as 'normal' as possible. Participants from my research highlighted the ways in which social norms are policed in care, as well as how power is enacted by care staff... 5/10 #britsoc2020 #phd

For instance, some residents have been prevented from stimming, which can be a source of comfort and is completely harmless. With some staff believing that it is their job to encourage 'progress' towards a norm, they may not see this as mistreatment 6/10 #britsoc2020 #phd

One participant explained how she painted her husband's nails (upon his request), however, care-staff then ridiculed him for this. This policing of gender had a noticeable impact on his psychological well-being 7/10 #britsoc2020 #phd

So, it is extremely important that people working in care have the ability to question their assumptions and how these might be impacting their practices. However, care staff rarely have the opportunity to do this. It is not built into their work and... 8/10 #britsoc2020 #phd

they are often working long hours, for little pay. Interviews with people who have worked in residential care indicate that this reflexive practice would be welcomed and beneficial both for staff and the people they support 9/10 #britsoc2020 #phd

Having said all that, I'm still very much at the beginning of my analysis and there is so much more to the data that I have collected. I'm excited to be able to share more with you all when I can... 10/10 #britsoc2020 #phdchat