Dismantling dominant disability discourse — Dana Kabaila

By: Dana Kabaila

woman with dark hair and glasses, wearing a dark blue top. She has blue, pink and mustard coloured highlights in her hair and is smiling
Dana Kabaila

Narrative therapy offers powerful approaches for honouring neurodivergent insider knowledge to resist thin, pathologising conclusions. To explore and extend these approaches, I interviewed loved ones as neurodivergent co-researchers using narrative principles to re-dignify their living experience. These interviews led to therapeutic letters, peer outsider witnessing and engagement with a therapist listening group. I used the terms “neuro-wild” to explore freedoms, “neuro-wild cultivators” for re-membering supporters, “neuro-taming” for survival skills and “neuro-rewilding” for reclaiming preferred ways of thinking, being, knowing and doing. I hope this paper offers new possibilities to neurodivergent folk seeking support and to neurodivergent providers, authors and researchers.

Key words: neurodivergent, co-research, therapeutic letter, outsider witness, therapist listening group, narrative therapy, narrative practice


Kabaila, D. (2026). Dismantling dominant disability discourse: Exploring liberatory language for neurodivergent experience. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (2), 15–25. https://doi.org/10.4320/ZJJL1915

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