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Topic

Exploring the Potential of Belonging: A Participatory Study with Disabled Youth

School of Child and Youth Care

Date & location

• Thursday, April 10, 2025
• 10:00 A.M.
• Virtual Defence

Examining Committee

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Alison Gerlach, School of Child and Youth Care, University of Victoria (Supervisor)
• Dr. Gail Teachman, School of Occupational Therapy, Western University (Outside Member)

External Examiner

• Dr. Janet Newbury, School of Child and Youth Care, UVic

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Carmen Rodriguez de France, Department of Indigenous Education, UVic

Abstract

Despite the prevalence of inclusion discourses and policies in education and disability services, some disabled youth continue to experience a lack of inclusion in educational and community spaces. Critical disability scholars and self-advocates have also raised concerns that dominant notions of inclusion continue to fall short and cause harm due to their underlying ableist assumptions. This participatory study engaged four youth with disabilities in focus groups to explore their experiences and perspectives of inclusion and belonging. Drawing on critical disability studies scholarship, reflexive thematic analysis identified two themes, (1) exploring belonging and (2) unpacking ableism, with interrelated subthemes. The findings indicate that the concept of belonging may provide a more meaningful and nuanced alternative to inform policy and practice, with the potential to disrupt the inequitable power relations inherent in inclusion rhetoric and shift power back into the hands of individuals with disabilities. The implications of this research inform how Child and Youth Care practitioners, public school educators, and professionals who support youth with disabilities in community and educational contexts can collaborate with disabled youth to foster their sense of belonging.