Material, stigmatic, and agentic dimensions in the experience of claiming disability benefits: The Israeli case

Little scholarly work has focused on the lived experience of people claiming disability benefits. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 Jewish-Israeli men and women with physical impairments, this paper seeks to fill this gap in the literature. Analysis of the interviews yielded three main themes: the material and psycho-social aspects of the Israeli disability benefits system, respectively, and the coping strategies applied by the participants in their efforts to navigate the system and address their needs. The distinction between the first two themes is discussed as resonating with recent calls for an integrated disability justice conceptualization, one that entails both redistributive and recognitive aspects. The third theme is highlighted as countering the image of ‘passivity’ that is all too often associated with being on disability benefits.