Where are persons with disabilities? A reflexive thematic analysis of Federal Government climate change documents

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dc.contributor.authorMacDonald, Sarah Ellen
dc.contributor.supervisorJeffery, Donna
dc.date.accessioned2021-09-15T20:32:35Z
dc.date.available2021-09-15T20:32:35Z
dc.date.copyright2021en_US
dc.date.issued2021-09-15
dc.degree.departmentSchool of Social Worken_US
dc.degree.levelMaster of Social Work M.S.W.en_US
dc.description.abstractWhile persons with disabilities are not a homogenous group, most are likely to be disproportionately impacted by climate change and the “natural” disasters that result from these changes. As a social worker living with chronic health conditions and a particular interest in disability and public policy, I was curious about how Canada’s Federal Government climate change policies and initiatives address persons with disabilities and their diverse needs. My research explored how matters of health and disability have been taken up in recent Canadian Federal Government climate change policies and strategies through an analysis of six significant climate change documents. Framed by a feminist, poststructural-inspired critical disability lens, the documents were examined through an inductive approach to reflexive thematic analysis, with the aim of contributing to critical conversations around the intersections of disability justice, climate justice, and related social justice matters. Through reflexive thematic analysis, I identified three key themes: persons with disabilities are widely absent from Canadian Federal Government climate change documents, both as collaborators as well as groups considered in climate change planning; adaptation to climate change and climate resilience are central in government climate mitigation strategies; and healthy and normative body-minds are presumed by the documents, which broadly assume all people have the same capacities to adapt. Subthemes included both a prioritization of the economy, and a foregrounding of a productive, compulsory, able-bodied and able-minded citizen around which climate change strategies are designed. I conclude with some suggestions for how Canada’s climate change policies may become more inclusive for persons with disabilities.en_US
dc.description.scholarlevelGraduateen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1828/13394
dc.languageEnglisheng
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.rightsAvailable to the World Wide Weben_US
dc.subjectclimate justiceen_US
dc.subjectclimate resilienceen_US
dc.subjectclimate adaptationen_US
dc.subjectableismen_US
dc.subjectclimate change and persons with disabilitiesen_US
dc.subjectclimate crisisen_US
dc.subjectpersons with disabilitiesen_US
dc.subjectsocial justiceen_US
dc.subjectcanadaen_US
dc.subjectclimate changeen_US
dc.subjectclimate policiesen_US
dc.subjectvulnerable populationsen_US
dc.titleWhere are persons with disabilities? A reflexive thematic analysis of Federal Government climate change documentsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US

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