Student Commentary
Disability exclusion and rights: The life story of Alice Jamieson
Abstract
There is a commonly held belief that fear of disability by society is the reason for segregation of the disabled. Although acknowledging the validity of such a belief, this paper disputes this claim as it pertains to sufferers of mental illness. Specifically it explores one woman’s development of dissociative identity disorder as a result of years of incestuous abuse. Alice Jamieson developed multiple personalities in order to survive her horrendous childhood, which ultimately caused her to live a life of segregation and social exclusion. Alice did however; experience the enabling effects of positive, supportive relationships on rare occasions throughout her childhood (with her grandfather) and her adult life (with a work colleague). The telling of her story bought Alice a powerful sense of healing and has helped raise awareness of childhood sexual abuse and its devastating consequences.
How to Cite:
Lynch, A., 2014. Disability exclusion and rights: The life story of Alice Jamieson. Journal of Social Inclusion, 5(1), pp.78–84. DOI: http://doi.org/10.36251/josi.70
Published on
04 Jun 2014.
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