"The System Is Stacked against Them": Attorneys' Perspectives on Intersectional Oppression, Disabled Parents, and the Child Welfare System.
Studies have documented pervasive ableism faced by disabled parents within the child welfare system. However, the experiences of disabled parents facing multiple forms of oppression in this context remain understudied. Recognizing the heterogeneity of disabled parents, this study investigated inters...
| Published in: | Social Work Research Vol. 50; no. 2; pp. 107 - 119 |
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| Main Authors: | , |
| Format: | Article |
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Oxford University Press / USA
Jun2026
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| fields | @attributes: recordID: 1 pdfLink: plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=194231681&site=ehost-live header: @attributes: shortDbName: ssf uiTerm: 194231681 longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson) uiTag: AN controlInfo: bkinfo: jinfo: jid: 10705309 SWK jtl: Social Work Research issn: 10705309 maglogo: N pubinfo: dt: Jun2026 vid: 50 iid: 2 pid: 622 pub: Oxford University Press / USA artinfo: ui: 194231681 10.1093/swr/svag003 ppf: 107 ppct: 12 formats: fmt: – @attributes: type: T – @attributes: type: P size: 1.1MB tig: atl: "The System Is Stacked against Them": Attorneys' Perspectives on Intersectional Oppression, Disabled Parents, and the Child Welfare System. aug: au: Duffy, Luci Powell, Robyn affil: Luci Duffy, MPP, is research associate, Lurie Institute for Disability Policy, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, MS035, Waltham, MA 02453, USA Robyn Powell, PhD, JD, is assistant professor, College of Law, Stetson University, Gulfport, FL, USA su: United States Child welfare Power (Social sciences) Health services accessibility Qualitative research Socioeconomic factors Interviewing Content analysis Family relations Intersectionality Racism Patient-professional relations Psychological stress Psychology of parents Discrimination (Sociology) People with disabilities Poverty Research funding Statistical sampling Judgment sampling Thematic analysis Attitudes of medical personnel Research methodology Videoconferencing sug: subj: Child welfare Power (Social sciences) Health services accessibility Qualitative research Socioeconomic factors Interviewing Content analysis Family relations Intersectionality Racism Patient-professional relations Psychological stress Psychology of parents Discrimination (Sociology) People with disabilities Poverty United States Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling All Other Business Support Services Research funding Statistical sampling Judgment sampling Thematic analysis Attitudes of medical personnel Research methodology Videoconferencing ab: Studies have documented pervasive ableism faced by disabled parents within the child welfare system. However, the experiences of disabled parents facing multiple forms of oppression in this context remain understudied. Recognizing the heterogeneity of disabled parents, this study investigated intersectional oppression from the perspective of attorneys who represent disabled parents in child welfare cases. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 23 attorneys in the United States who represent disabled parents in child welfare cases. Content analysis revealed three main themes related to the experiences and outcomes of disabled parents facing intersectional oppression: systemic mechanisms of oppression, intermediate impacts, and ultimate outcomes. Drivers of intersectional oppression included system structure and institutional barriers, power dynamics, and cross-system interactions. Intermediate impacts encompassed the child welfare system's response and parent experiences, whereas ultimate outcomes included case outcomes and long-term family impact. Addressing intersectional oppression faced by disabled parents necessitates substantive and comprehensive system restructuring, including rules, statutes, practices, and services that currently punish and marginalize affected disabled parents. Paired with structural and policy reform, intersectional training must also be required for all professionals involved with the system to erode individual-level bias. pubtype: Academic Journal doctype: Article src: R language: English refInfo: copyright: @attributes: flag: N holdings: @attributes: islocal: N |
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