Disability Representation and Policy Views

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

The 2023 APSA mini-conference on Disability and Politics demonstrated the depth and range of political topics regarding people with disabilities. This year’s proposed panel will build on some of the 2023 work by presenting new results on the representation of disability and how perceptions of disability shape political attitudes and policy preferences. regarding voting among of people with disabilities. An estimated 38.3 million people with disabilities were eligible to vote in the United States in 2020, making them the largest minority group in the electorate. Furthermore, the number of people with disabilities has increased, and continues to increase, with the aging of the U.S. population and the continuing impact of the Covid 19 pandemic.

This panel presents new evidence on the representation and conceptualization of disability, and how attitudes toward people with disabilities affect political views and preferences on welfare policies. The first paper by Rachel Blum and Monica Schneider, is one of the first to construct and validate measures of disability discrimination (ableism) on public opinion surveys. They connect ableism to politically salient characteristics such as party identification and ideology, and use their ableism measure to predict public support for disability policy in line with provisions of the ADA.

The second paper, by Jac Larner and Joshua Thorp, uses two experiments to explore stereotypes and information about disability and welfare recipients. The first experiment examines how factual information cues about disability among welfare recipients changes views toward the legitimacy of government redistribution. The second experiment builds on the idea that almost everyone will have a disability at some point in their life, and examines how this information affects support for disability welfare policy.

The third paper, by Arthur Blaser, explores the representation of disability by comparing measures of disability both within the United States and internationally. Classifications of disability can be affected by technological and social changes, and in turn influence social attitudes and public policy in ways that affect well-being and access to resources among people with disabilities. Disability measures are inherently political.

Taken together, these three papers provide new evidence and insights into the political consequences of disability representation and attitudes toward people with disabilities.

Sub Unit

• Division 34: Representation and Electoral Systems

Individual Presentations

• The Politics of Ableism and Support for Disability Policy - Rachel Blum, University of Oklahoma; Monica C. Schneider, Miami University

• Disability Stereotypes and Support for Redistribution in the United States - Jac Michael Larner, Cardiff University; Joshua Thorp, University of Michigan

• What Is a Disabled Person? Why, When, and to Whom Does It Matter? - Arthur Blaser, Chapman University

• Participation of Women with Disabilities in Nigeria's 2023 General Elections - Afeez Kolawole Shittu, Federal College of Education (Special) Oyo

Chair

• Joshua Thorp University of Michigan

Discussant

• Lisa Schur Rutgers University-New Brunswick