Black Disabled Women's Lived Experiences in Britain

Black women's erasure from our grasp of social inequalities is a long-standing problem. As the late bell hooks (1984:92) argued, racist, sexist and classist social structures deny Black women access to "the existing ranks of the powerful", whose narratives about themselves prevail throughout our understandings of society. Within disability studies, these dynamics are also at play. Since the dominant constructions of 'disability' and 'disabled' are raceless, classless and genderless, this renders invisible a range of experiences- particularly those of Black women (Meekosha, 2011; Bell, 2006; Bailey and Mobley, 2019; Garland-Thompson, 2002). This is despite the fact that Black women face "some of the highest rates of disability in England and Wales" (Carers UK, 2011).

With respect to these unexplored accounts of disability, this project aims to consider how Black disabled women view themselves, the social world, and their efforts to mobilise for justice. By addressing the overarching research question of 'How do Black disabled women negotiate hegemonic definitions of disability?', it will attempt to identify whose stories are centred within conversations about disability and at whose expense. In turn, it will seek to examine how white and male dominance excludes Black disabled women's experiences of both dehumanisation and resistance against this in our daily lives. The importance of these reflections only increases when noting how ideas about curing supposedly abnormal humans have historically involved overlaps between raced, classed, gendered, and disabled discourses (Clare, 2014; Sandahl, 2003; Dubach, 2010; Böetsch and Blanchard, 2014). As such, this study will call for homing in on these co-existing power relations and their effects on Black disabled women's realities.

To this end, qualitative semi-structured interviews will enable the recovery of Black disabled women's intersectional truths. While this research method requires the researcher to compile a list of possible questions to ask each participant, it also allows the researcher to stray away from the plan, making more information available through follow-up queries. Given that these tend to be shaped by a participant's previous responses, the power balance this establishes between both parties means Black disabled women will guide these dialogues about themselves. As a result, the method's conversational tone will preserve the authenticity of such stories. At the same time, it coincides with the Black feminist appreciation for Black women as knowers of our own realities (Hill Collins, 2000). That is to say, the practices that have led to our historical erasure from knowledge will be challenged through this approach, ensuring that the voices of Black disabled women are amplified and centred within this research. In doing so, this project and its findings will add to ongoing discussions about raced, classed, gendered, and disabled experiences in Britain.