Problematising and Reconceptualising ‘Vulnerability’ in the Context of Disablist Violence

‘I may be left with no choice but to end my torment’: disability and intersectionalities of hate crime

“…Within the discipline of criminology, the acknowledgement of disability as an 'at risk' group of victimisation has gone unnoticed until recent years (Roulstone et al 2011;Macdonald 2015;Thorneycroft 2017). As Roulstone and Sadique (2013) suggest, the recognition of disability within hate crime research has been slow compared with the other protected characteristics (race, faith, trans/gender identity and sexuality).…”

“…As Roulstone and Sadique (2013) suggest, the recognition of disability within hate crime research has been slow compared with the other protected characteristics (race, faith, trans/gender identity and sexuality). When disabled victims/survivors are acknowledged within criminological scholarship, this minority population is often conceptualised as pathologically vulnerable to criminal exploitation (Edwards 2014;Thorneycroft 2017). Therefore, it is not surprising that the majority of research on disability hate crime has emerged from scholars within Disability Studies rather than criminology (Quarmby 2008;Sherry 2010;Roulstone and Sadique 2013).…”

“…Within Disability Studies there has been a rejection of the pathologisation of disabled victimhood that emerged from criminology and forensic psychology (Sherry 2010;Roulstone and Sadique 2013;Edwards 2014;Thorneycroft 2017). As Quarmby (2011) suggests, what makes disabled people vulnerable to victimisation is not an individual's 'defective' pathology but their social circumstances.…”

Exploring the experiences of sexual abuse survivors engaged in non-formal, arts-informed adult learning, using an arts-based research methodology

“…Liamputtong (2007) states that an individual is deemed vulnerable if they experience diminished autonomy due to physical, psychological or status inequalities. However, Thorneycroft (2017) reminds us that vulnerability is a problematised term, and we should recognise the corporal fragility of all humans, each with the capacity to be affected and affect others. Daley (2015) counters that even if deemed vulnerable, individuals have a right to be protected from harm and should also be able to participate in research as 'a way of being heard on matters which affect them ' (p. 121).…”

Conceptual Understandings of Vulnerability

“…Vulnerability-as-weakness has shaped the development of the concept within criminology and policing and in the development of social and welfare services (Thorneycroft 2017). When applied to the provision of support, the term loses its universality and is reserved for only those identified as incapable of managing their own affairs.…”