The Power of Acceptance of Their Disability for Improving Flourishing: Preliminary Insights from Persons with Physical Acquired Disabilities

Following Wright’s theory, the process of acceptance of disability helps persons with an acquired disability to change their attitudes toward it. Consequently, a sense of self-satisfaction was developed, a de-emphasis on disability salience was placed, and compensatory behavioral qualities were acquired. Together, these factors promote an individual’s adjustment according to disability-related strengths and difficulties. Our cross-sectional study examines how acceptance of disability influences flourishing, characterized by high well-being and low distress. Due to the exploratory nature of the study, two research questions were formulated: Would each factor of acceptance of disability positively predict each dimension of well-being? (RQ1); Would each factor of acceptance of disability negatively predict distress? (RQ2). Additionally, we considered gender effects. 107 Italian adults with acquired physical disabilities [M year (SD) = 48.12 (14.87)] filled out an e-survey. Measures of acceptance of disability, well-being, and distress were used. The results indicate that self-satisfaction is a key predictor of flourishing while de-emphasizing disability salience only predicts purpose in life. Compensatory behavioral qualities predicted personal growth, positive relationships, life purposes, and self-acceptance. Gender did not significantly affect outcomes. Despite being preliminary, these initial results support the acceptance of disability as a personal resource for promoting flourishing. They suggest the potential for interventions to help individuals with disabilities process grief and accept their new self-representation.