Programme full

Wednesday 15 April 2015 16:00 - 17:30
PAPER SESSION 3
structures informing members' worlds demonstrates how models of contemporary support can prove incompatible with
social models of distress or disability. Finally, whilst self-stigma is not attributed to members maliciously, this
phenomenon could be explained in a number of ways, such as the limitations of the support environment, frustrations
of staff and as symptoms of neoliberalism.
Caring for Children with Special Needs on a Hospital Ward: Mothers’ and Nurses’ Experiences
Merchant, W., Fletcher, M., Beringer, A., Kent, J.
(University of the West of England)
Aims
An increasing number of children with special needs within the UK has been attributed to improvements in the survival
rates of premature babies and improvements in technology. Children with special needs tend to be admitted more
frequently to hospital. Mothers remain largely, but not exclusively, main carers of children with special needs.
Background
No research seeks the views of mothers and nurses about the care provided to children with special needs as
inpatients.
Introduction
My focus is upon the personal experiences of mothers of children with special needs and nurses working on the wards
of a hospital.
Sample
A purposive sample of eleven mothers, twenty seven nurses and eight nurse managers from a large tertiary hospital in
England was recruited.
Methodology
A feminist ethnography from an auto/biographical stance.
Data collection
Two periods of observation each lasting three months at a time, was completed. Semi-structured interviews were
conducted with six mothers, thirteen nurses and eight nurse managers.
Data analysis
I used critical reflexivity and thematic analysis to keep grounded within the daily lived experiences of the participants.
Results
Mothers are experts in their child and have had experiences which unleash their “inner tiger”. Nurses struggle to
accommodate this expertise into their role.
Conclusion
Nurses lack the skills and knowledge to care for children with special needs and rely upon mothers expertise. Mothers
needs are not acknowledged at an institutional level.
Disabled Women’s Access to Gender-based Violence Services: An International Comparison
Woodin, S.
(University of Leeds)
This paper will present the findings from a four country study on violence against disabled women (Austria, Germany,
Iceland and UK), that took place between 2013 and 2015. It will discuss the degree to which disabled women were
able to access generic, specialised support services for all women experiencing violence, in comparison with nondisabled
women. Access was poor for all disabled women but some, notably D/deaf women and women with sensory
impairments, were particularly poorly served, with few improvements planned for the future.
Service providers largely agreed that disabled women were excluded, but there were differences in the reasons given
for this and in the degree to which they considered this to be justified. Some countries were more pessimistic than
others about the possibility of integration and survey and interview data reflect this. Views correlate with differences in
the continued existence of separate institutions for disabled people, including women. By contrast and to varying
degrees, service providers in other countries were less forthright, placing greater responsibility for lack of access on
women themselves and on service systems. As both agency and structure impact on women's access, these
differences may reflect the social context in terms if what are seen as acceptable justifications for access, exclusion
and the allocation of scarce resources.
119 BSA Annual Conference 2015
Glasgow Caledonian University