An Exploration of the stigma associated with the use of assisted devices

This review article explores the use of assistive devices, which have been defined as tools for living, designed to enhance quality of life and facilitate independence in daily living for individuals with disabilities (Petterrson et al. 2007). Such devices range from the routine such as hearing aids and glasses, to life sustaining technologies, including dialysis machines and respirators (Brown and Webster 2004). While the benefits of assistive devices in enabling independent functioning have been extensively researched, little attention has been paid to the personal meanings assigned to these devices, by individuals requiring their use in daily life (Petterrson et al. 2007). Assistive device usage has been associated with stigmatisation (Parette and Scherer 2004) and so, while such devices may enable, they also appear to be simultaneously wounding (Brown and Webster 2004). Specifically, this review article explores the existence of this stigma and examines the reasons for its association with assistive devices. The concept of stigma, as influenced by social processes, is firstly considered. To follow, a critical synthesis of relevant research is presented, with a predominant focus on the stigmatisation linked to the use of wheelchairs, as representing the archetypal assistive device. The inherent association of assistive devices with the ‘sick role’, and the social symbolism of these devices, emerge as primary contributors to the experience of stigma surrounding their usage. The implications of this stigmatisation and the applications of these sociological understandings to Occupational Therapy practice are also considered.