The Management of Privacy Boundaries for People with Visible Disabilities

Abstract

People who have disabilities that are visible often manage the boundaries around private information regarding their disability (Braithwaite, 1991) because the choice becomes how much should be revealed. The purpose of this study is to use Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory to explore the way people who have a visible disability manage privacy boundaries in communicative interactions and also the way the boundaries around private information are managed over time. The study was conducted through in-depth interviews with seven individuals who have a visible disability about their experiences in managing private information. The individuals described experiences both among other people with a visible disability and with people do not have a disability. Results from a thematic analysis revealed the presence of five main themes and several sub-themes.