Double Discrimination: A Feminist Poststructuralist Intersecting of Gender and Intellectual Disability in Education and Society

The intersection of intellectual disability and gender is underrepresented in considerations of in/exclusion in the UK. This chapter confronts this double discrimination and the ways in which exclusionary discourses and practices are embedded in education and society, focusing on intellectual disability as a neglected aspect of the disability literature that receives less recognition than other marginalised identities (Goodley, Disability and Society 28:631–644, 2013; Rizvi, Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs 17:87–97, 2017). Drawing on (Butler, Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity, Routledge, 1990), a feminist poststructuralist analysis of gender and disability will challenge fixed prescribed identities, while honouring a sense of personal ownership that is rooted in a bodily sense. The chapter offers a nuanced approach to inclusion, exploring how women and girls with intellectual disabilities can be excluded from education. It discusses multiple oppressions (Braidotti, Bioethical Inquiry 17:465–469, 2020), lived experiences, and opportunities to improve practice.