Invisible Battles: Disability, Power, and Powerlessness

Invisible Battles: Disability, Power, and 
Powerlessness (Disability TIG)

Speakers:

CHAIR: KLEIN, Wendy (CSULB)
LILLY, Samantha (U Michigan) A Case Study on the 
Efficacy of Argentina’s National Mental Healthcare 
Law ‘Ley Nº 26.657’
MCILRATH, Grace (Luther Coll) Invisible Battles of 
“Ordinary” Mothers: Stories of Disability Advocacy in 
Iowa
ROBERTS, Michelle (UKY) Everyday Ablenationalism: 
“Drawing a Check” in Appalachian Kentucky
DREXLER, Livy (MI State U) Not Like Any Other 
School: How the Environment at a Tribal School 
Challenges Conceptions of Disability
KLEIN, Wendy (CSULB) Autism and Bilingual 
Socialization: Perspectives and Practices in Bilingual 
Families

Abstract

MCILRATH, Grace (Luther Coll) Invisible Battles of “Ordinary” 
Mothers: Stories of Disability Advocacy in Iowa. This paper 
discusses the results from conversations with 17 mothers of 
children with special health-care needs in Iowa. Interviews 
covered a range of themes, including pregnancy, discovering 
the disability, doctors, schools, the child, speaking about the 
disability, parenting, and leadership. Many mothers expressed 
their longing for a “normal” life doing things “normal families” 
often take for granted. A fascinating facet of our explorations were the lessons learned about the invisibility of social movements and activism for disability rights in the United States. The erasure of the dominant role of women leaders fighting for maternal and child healthcare rights was astounding. mcilgr01@luther.edu (W107)

 

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