Examining literary and policy discourses of mental disability in the post-dismantlement phase of Ontario's institutional cycle

Abstract

Persons living with a mental disability in Ontario comprise a significant and diverse population that has historically existed in the margins of society as a result of the discrimination that has dominated the province's social and political discourses. Building upon McCauley's (2011) research, a critical discourse analysis methodology was utilized to examine the ways that major policy and literary discourses have influenced the cultural constructions of mental disability in Ontario. The present study focuses on policy and literary texts, specifically novels and memoires, published since the last institutions in the province were closed in 2009, marking the beginning of the post-dismantlement phase of the Ontario's institutional cycle. It was anticipated that an examination of the ways that literature and policy construct mental disability during the post-dismantlement phase of Ontario's institutional cycle would help to identify policy planning needs and opportunities for advancing human rights for persons living with mental disabilities. Findings ultimately identify a disconnect between Ontario's public policies that assert a responsibility to uphold the social and economic rights of persons living with disabilities, and experiences of exclusion amongst persons living with mental disabilities as depicted in literary fiction and non-fiction narratives. In order for equality in social and economic participation to be realized a number of recommendations are proposed, including the use of direct consultation with service-users of varying abilities to inform policy planning initiatives, as well as increased availability of institutional services such as long-term care facilities.