Disability, Community Care, and Agency in Geel, Belgium

FAIN: FT-285970-22

Lorraine Krall McCrary
Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN 47933-2484)

Research and writing a chapter on the disabled caregiving community in Geel, Belgium, leading to a book in political theory on the inclusion of disability communities and the notion of just society.

I will interview people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness in Geel, Belgium, in order to understand how communities of care at Geel foster agency in people with disabilities—and how that agency supports the agency people with disabilities develop in other associations in the town. Together with another case study, my analysis of these interviews will form the foundation for the argument of my larger book project that communities of care are essential to an inclusive, just, and stable society. To political theory, my work will bring the perspective of those marginalized by the discipline, encouraging the reevaluation of assumptions that have historically informed political theory, such as autonomy, rationality, and independence, as well as the disability-excluding social contract that results from these assumptions. My work highlights the promise of local associations that cultivate agency, while recognizing the dark side of communities of care.

Associated Products

“The Merciful City”: Foster Family Care in Geel, Belgium (Conference Paper/Presentation)
Title: “The Merciful City”: Foster Family Care in Geel, Belgium
Author: Lorraine McCrary
Abstract: Geel, a town in Belgium where “boarders” with mental illness or intellectual disabilities live with foster families in their homes, provides one model of community care. In Geel, people with and without disabilities care for each other in family-like communities where needs and abilities change over time. Lauded by the World Health Organization, Geel foster families often stay together for decades and over generations. While Geel’s exemplary community care for people with disabilities has been praised, few interviews with boarders have been conducted. I will interview people with intellectual disabilities and mental illness in Geel, Belgium, in order to understand whether and how communities of care at Geel foster agency in people with disabilities—both in foster families and in other social and political associations in the town. I will study whether agency facilitated in foster families leads to agency in other associations, in order to understand the role that cultivating agency in people with mental illness and intellectual disabilities plays in the success of Geel.
Date: 09/15/2022
Conference Name: American Political Science Association Conference

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