"Is 'Disability Adjustment' Changeable Once Achieved?"
TAJIMA Akiko
last update: 20151224
Is "Disability Adjustment" Changeable Once Achieved?
TAJIMA Akiko
Abstract:
Through the life stories of visually impaired males, changeability of the status after "disability
adjustment" is explored. Conventional theories on disability adjustment suggest that "disability
adjustment" remains unchanged once it is achieved. We investigated whether affirmative selfimages
would last for the remainder of a person's life, and what factors might change affirmative
self-images once they were established. Analysis based on life stories revealed that negative feelings
and a sense of shame caused by past experiences of stigma could be triggered to recur if the person
again experienced images of the places and people associated with the experiences of stigma. These
experiences could thereby become critical factors in defining and limit intentional behaviors.
Keywords: disability adjustment, visual impairment, life story
REV: 20151224