Abstract:

Disabled people constitute a minority of patients in the normal hospital ward. They may belong to groups which often have their own ideologies or languages. Discourse is chosen here as a way of understanding the conflicts which may arise between disabled patients and the medical profession who emanate from two distinct `epistemic communities.' The unsettling discourse of disabled people in hospital may centre on current medical practices, the shortcomings of the DDA or confused diagnosis. The work of Hauerwas on narrative theology is recommended as tool for the chaplain endeavouring to understand the situation.

Author: W. Graham Monteith