Doctoral Dissertation Research: Impairment, Resilience, and Social Networks Among Disabled Women

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Scientists of disability have long noted that with age, everyone eventually becomes disabled. As medical technologies improve, innovative treatments for numerous impairments increase the number of disabled Americans. Amid this accelerated growth, there is an increased need to understand what factors enhance or limit the accommodations and resources that are made to disabled individuals. This doctoral research project investigates the everyday experiences and social networks of a population of disabled women in the U.S. In addition to providing funding for the training of a graduate student in anthropology in the methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, findings will be shared with governmental and non-governmental organizations, doctors, and others with the aim of improving the care of disabled individuals. The project also endeavors to enhance the public's understanding of science and the scientific method with regard to disabled Americans. This doctoral dissertation research project examines the relationship between experiences of disability and gender, and what support networks improve or worsen these experiences. The project explores the experiences of individuals with Turner Syndrome (TS), a chromosome and hormone disorder that impacts one in every 2,000 live female births. TS frequently causes delayed or incomplete maturation and infertility, making it a unique case study for examining the relationship between gender and disability. Research will be conducted in North Carolina, an ideal locale given the clustering of individuals with this disorder: a number of nonprofits and a dedicated TS clinic offer access to this population and their resources. Interviews, observation of daily activities, along with experimental methods in collaborative ethnography will afford insight into the everyday experiences of individuals with TS, including what struggles they face, what resilience they demonstrate, and what resources they rely on and need.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.