Resistance and resilience in a life full of professionals and labels: narrative snapshots of Chris.

Van Hove et al. (2012) tell one woman’s story. Chris lives with an intellectual disability label.

The authors use her own words to show how she pushes back against the labels professionals give her.

This is a single case study, not an experiment.

Chris shows strong resilience. She refuses to let the disability label define her whole life.

She finds ways to keep control even when doctors, teachers, and support staff try to speak for her.

Ćwirynkało et al. (2022) extend this idea. They interviewed fathers with ID who also turn past trauma into parenting strength.

Y-Spanoudis et al. (2011) show the opposite side. In Taiwan, women with ID are often left out of their own sterilisation decisions. Chris’s push-back contrasts with their silence.

Bigby et al. (2016) found that better group homes share power with residents. Chris’s story gives a face to that principle.

You may write goals that sound clinical. Chris reminds you to ask, “What does the client want?”

Use her story in staff training. Pause before adding a new label or goal. Ask if it helps the person or just the paperwork.

When you see resistance, treat it as data, not defiance. It may be the client’s way of keeping dignity.