Content area
This PhD dissertation investigates the intersection of disability and old age, focusing on the legal, social, and individual dimensions of their overlaps. Disability and old age, despite their shared challenges—such as social exclusion and barriers to full personhood—have largely evolved in parallel lines with few intersections. This dissertation aims to create a broader conceptual framework that acknowledges and bridges the two fields, exploring both the complexities and the opportunities inherent in their intersection. Through an intersectional approach, the research aims to enhance the understanding of aging with disability, considering perspectives from disability and old age.
The research addresses five key questions: (1) What are the similarities and differences between disability law and elder law in its development, interests, and theoretical frameworks? (2) Why are the disability and old age intersections rarely addressed in legal research, and what are the challenges of acknowledging this nexus? (3) What are the intersections between disability and old age at the ground and conceptual levels, from the individual's perspective and a social group's lens? (4) What can we learn from people who are aging with disability on the uniqueness of the intersection between age and disability (5) How can an intersectional approach to age and disability help develop new concepts and policies that will enable to better understand and better serve, people who are both old and with disabilities?
To answer our questions, we designed three research studies that adopt an intersectional lens on old age and disability; the first focused on the intersection of fields, the second on the intersection of identity, and the third on the intersection of concepts. This approach seeks to identify the potential and complexities of the disability and old age nexus at different levels. The dissertation consists of three empirical papers, which collectively propose a new conceptual framework that integrates perspectives from both disability and elder law.
The first study, titled "Old-Age-Based and Disability-Focused: A Scoping Literature Review on the Intersection of Older Persons' Rights and Disability Rights," investigates the relationship between disability law and elder law by analyzing 180 articles published in the last two decades. The findings indicate a one-directional relationship where disability rights are often approached from an elder law perspective, but not vice versa. The study identifies five elements characterizing this relationship: similarities, differences, tensions, separation, and bridging efforts. The results highlight the underexplored but critical need for open dialogue and coalition-building between the two fields to address shared challenges and promote rights more inclusively.
The second study, titled "'An Oversized Garment' – Aging People with Disabilities' Perspectives on the Intersectionality of Age and Disability," captures the experiences of individuals aging with disabilities through a phenomenological qualitative approach. Interviews with 15 participants revealed a complex relationship between disability and old age. Participants tended to accept their disability as part of their identity while rejecting old age, reflecting underlying social stigmas and the desire to maintain autonomy. The study identified the marginalization that occurs due to the intersectional identity of being both old and disabled, emphasizing the inadequacy of existing services and the need for a more integrated understanding of these dual identities.