Collaboration to support disability service users exposed to violence: Other- and self-positioning of professionals in victim and disability support

Collaboration is a key factor in developing adapted support for victims with disabilities, according to previous research. During collaboration, interaction between meeting participants affects the meeting outcomes. This study explores the other- and self-positioning of collaborating social work professionals in victim and disability support. Five video-recorded collaborative meetings, including professionals from victim and disability support, were analyzed using positioning theory as a framework, focusing on other- and self-positionings. Commonalities in all meetings indicated a hierarchy based on knowledge about violence – not disability knowledge – and a social distance between the victim support and disability support professionals. In addition, two leadership styles (authoritarian and democratic) and three followership styles (conformist, alienated, and effective) were found. These positionings influenced decision-making processes toward the exclusion of the disability perspective. It is important to promote contributions from both victim support and disability support professionals to create adapted victim support. Policy and practice should promote the disability support professionals’ perspectives in these collaborations to compensate for the hierarchy and distance between the positions and to enable adaptation of victim support for disability service users exposed to intimate partner violence.