BETWEEN SOCIAL INVISIBILITY AND SUBJECTIVITY: THE VOICE OF MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

• Куралай Мухамбетова

  L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University

  Author

  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1093-5032

The article examines the social invisibility of mothers of children with disabilities and the processes through which their subjectivity emerges in public space. Drawing on qualitative research that includes in-depth interviews, the study explores how everyday practices of care, interactions with institutions, and participation in informal support networks create the conditions for the emergence of voice as a socially meaningful form of agency.

The article shows that invisibility is structural in nature and manifests itself in limited and stereotyped public representation, a deficit of institutional support, and the normalization of a gender-asymmetrical distribution of care. At the same time, it is precisely under these conditions that mothers accumulate practical expertise, create horizontal forms of mutual support, and develop strategies for articulating their own experiences.

Voice is conceptualized as an emergent and unevenly distributed form of subjectivity that takes shape in intermediary spaces between private life and the public sphere yet does not always translate into institutionally recognized influence. The limitations of the study are related to the small number of interviews and the specific profile of the informants, who demonstrate a relatively high level of reflexivity and involvement in communication networks. This does not allow the study to capture the full spectrum of experience, including the most isolated cases.

The article contributes to disability studies, care studies, and research on inequality by offering an analysis of voice as a form of participation under conditions of limited recognition.

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