PTOTSLPQualitativeChild: care, health and development2025

Navigating the Impact of Discrimination: Exploring the Experiences of Sex/Gender Minoritised Youth With Disabilities.

Sally Lindsay, Peiwen Cao

PMID 40090761

WHAT IT FOUND

Sex/gender minoritised youth with disabilities reported hiding their identities to avoid discrimination in school, work and healthcare.

They coped by finding safe community spaces and practising self-advocacy, but faced compounded barriers due to intersecting ableism, racism and gender bias.

Key findings

01Eight of ten youth concealed one or more minoritised identities in spaces where they felt unsafe, such as school or work.

02Youth experienced discrimination that combined ableism, racism and gender bias, often originating from family or cultural expectations.

03Most youth used positive coping strategies, specifically seeking safe community spaces and practising self-advocacy.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs

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What it does not show

The sample size was small (10 participants) and limited to one urban region in Ontario, Canada. The study included various types of disabilities and gender identities, making it difficult to isolate the specific impact of each. The findings are not representative of youth living in other areas or with different socio-economic backgrounds.

Declared interests

The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Kim Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.

The easy way to misread this

Do not generalise these findings to all sex/gender minoritised youth with disabilities. The small sample size and specific urban Canadian context mean these experiences may not reflect the broader population.

Read it on PubMed →