Psychological coping strategies of black people with disabilities

The main objective of this study was to identify the coping strategies used by black people with disabilities in the face of double stigmatization. In addition, it sought to identify how this population believes it is perceived by society and to describe the effects and consequences of this stigmatization. The theoretical framework was constructed with the aim of deepening the concepts of collective representations, stigma, and coping among black people with disabilities, a group belonging to a multiple intersectional categorization. To achieve these objectives, interviews were conducted with black participants with disabilities, focusing on motor/physical disabilities. All are residents of the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It was identified that participants believe they are perceived through negative representations that resemble those found in the historical records of different fields of knowledge (philosophical, theological, and scientific). Regardless of the types of responses to stigma, whether voluntary or involuntary, they are impacted in their self-esteem, educational performance, and health.