身心障礙兒母親的生命經驗初探

• Main Author: 蘇玲慧
• Other Authors: 盧蕙馨
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/47787727469415059794

碩士 === 國立花蓮師範學院 === 多元文化研究所 === 92 === Abstract This paper records the life stories narrated by three women of different ages, personalities, values, social conditions, and experiences. Although the lives recalled by the three mothers differed significantly, their courage to voice their opinions and share their emotions were alike. They all expect their demonstrations would help the public understanding the predicaments faced by mothers of disabled children and fight for the respects and rights deserved for disabled children and their mothers in the same situation. This paper aims to record, based on listening and dialogues, the struggle of mothers in a patriarchal society, and capture the aggressive forces they have exerted in freeing themselves from the bondage of patriarchy, in order to highlight the peripheral motherhood experience, as oppose to the patriarchal society, to raise disabled children, as well as the life story of women under the traditional patriarchy. This study adopts method of in-depth interview and collects the information on the life stories told by the interviewed mothers, then interprets and narrates the life stories based on the presumed questions and concepts. The findings are as follows: 1. In face of social discrimination and unfriendly mainstream environment, the response and resistance of mothers of disabled children differed due to personal characteristics and social conditions. The mothers also faced different challenge in the role of mother, given the different levels and types of the disability experienced by their children. Therefore, we should prevent stereotyping or generalizing the predicament of mothers of disabled children, and neglecting their difference aside from being mothers of disabled children. 2. Although the physical and mental challenges experienced by the disabled children are the main cause of anguish and regret felt by their mothers, it is more unbearable to them that their children were unable to live in this society happily and respectably. In other words, the discrimination and bias upon the disabled children is indeed the root of misery inevitable to those mothers. Only the lift of the taboos and belittlement placed on disabled children could relieve the burdened pressure from those mothers. 3. The social welfare system has not utilized its caring functions, and gender-biased patriarchal society shifted their responsibility to women; hence, mothers of disabled children are forced to play a role of long-term caretaker. Only re-interpretation of the responsibilities and contents of caretakers, and promotion and realization of the concept of social mothering could improve the pressure and predicament of mothers of disabled children. Keywords: mothers of disabled children, motherhood experience, life story, narrative analysis