Disability Group Identification and Disability-Rights Advocacy: Contingencies Among Emerging and Other Adults

Following social identity theory, the present investigation examines the political benefits of self-identification as a member of the disability community for disability-rights advocacy across college (n = 204), community (N = 93), and international (N = 268) samples of adults with disabilities. Consistent with predictions, emerging adults (EAs) with disabilities (n = 204) demonstrated more political conviction and were twice as likely to be involved in disability-rights advocacy as nondisabled peers (n = 1,111). Studies 2 and 3 revealed that disability identification predicted disability-rights advocacy, preferences for affiliation with other disabled people, and stronger perceptions of solidarity, personal, and group discrimination. Age-group moderated effects in Study 2 such that EAs least identified as disabled reported the lowest levels of solidarity and the least awareness of discrimination. Implications of social identification for the political involvements of stigmatized groups are discussed along with complexities related to age, impairment visibility, and duration of disability.