Perceptions of and coping with racial and disability discrimination.

People with disabilities experience increased amounts of ableism, and people of color (POC) experience increased amounts of racism. However, little research has observed the intersection of racism and ableism for POC with disabilities. PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine differences in perceived discrimination, discrimination attributions, and discrimination coping between those with varying levels of disability observability who are and are not POC. RESEARCH METHOD/DESIGN: One-hundred and three adults with disabilities completed a cross-sectional online questionnaire measuring their discrimination frequency, attributions, and coping. Multiple regressions were used to analyze differences between POC and non-POC and whether disability observability was a moderator. RESULTS: Experiences of discrimination due to disability were reported by 62% of participants. Those with multiple disabilities were more likely to perceive discrimination to occur and to attribute experiences of discrimination to ableism. Regarding coping with racial discrimination, being a person of color predicted lower feelings of worth as a member of their racial group, perceived negative judgements from others of their racial group, and higher importance of their racial group membership to their self-concept. As observability of a disability increased, feelings of worth regarding their racial group increased for non-POC but decreased for POC. CONCLUSION/IMPLICATIONS: Results show differences in coping with discrimination for those with disabilities who are and are not POC. Discrimination perceptions and coping seem to vary based on how closely disabled peoples' identities fit with prototypical constructions of disability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).