The article under analysis is concerned with the resilience experiences of people with disabilities who pertain to gender or sexual minority groups. The authors identified resilience maximizers and minimizers based on the participants’ accounts. Hunter, Dispenza, Huffstead, Suttles, and Bradley (2020) defined resilience as individuals’ positive adaptation to negative conditions. It is often accepted in academia that resilience is innate, but Hunter et al. (2020) stressed that it could be built under certain circumstances. The following research question guided the study under consideration: “How do SGMPWDs define, understand, experience, and describe their lives?” (Hunter et al., 2020, p. 2). The researchers implemented a qualitative phenomenological study based on semi-structured interviews. The focus of the study was on the participants’ lived experiences, as well as their attitudes towards certain aspects, so the use of interviews as a data collection method is justified.
The participants identified such resilience maximizers as advocacy, self-acceptance, the recognition of humanity, and social support. The following resilience minimizers were identified: punishment, fragmentation, and identity concealment. One of the unexpected findings was the fact that the plea for recognition was a significant resilience maximizer. The authors noted that the major implication of their study was the description of major stressors and resilience builders for the target population that could be utilized by counselors and social workers. The authors also emphasized that counselors had to adopt a multicultural approach, meaning that they could not focus on one of the identities of their clients. Hunter et al. (2020) recognized the homogeneous structure of the sample as the central limitations to their study. The vast majority of the participants had a physical disability, had a college education or a degree, and identified themselves as cisgender. Future research could involve a detailed investigation of each stressor and resilience builder.
Reference
Hunter, T., Dispenza, F., Huffstead, M., Suttles, M., & Bradley, Z. (2020). Queering disability: Exploring the resilience of sexual and gender minority persons living with disabilities. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin. Web.