“Everyone Else Gets to Have the American Dream:” How Social Security Disability Policy Shapes Disability Identity

Authors

Katie Savin, California State University, SacramentoFollow

Keywords

Disability, qualitative methods, social security, welfare state, identity

Abstract

In the United States welfare state, the Social Security Administration (SSA) is the primary institution that shapes the disability experience through its disability benefit programs. This study used qualitative methods to explore 33 disabled adult beneficiaries’ experience with SSI/SSDI policy administration and the impact on their sense of worth, self-concept, and identity. Critical Disability Studies and a constructivist grounded theory approach drove data analysis. What emerged from the data was a negative disability identity experience referred to as the Social Security model of disability. Capitalist ideals that assign morality to formal work meant that disabled participants faced exclusion and stigma in many areas of their lives. The paper calls on social workers to learn from the disability justice principles of anti-capitalist politics and recognize wholeness to support and advocate for communities facing the dehumanization and poverty that can accompany disability benefit receipt in the United States.

Recommended Citation

Savin, Katie (2024) "“Everyone Else Gets to Have the American Dream:” How Social Security Disability Policy Shapes Disability Identity," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 51: Iss. 1, Article 18.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.4736
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol51/iss1/18