Building capacity to engage in co-produced research: reflections from a digital storytelling project

Abstract

This paper reviews existing approaches to inclusive, co-produced and agentic research in disability, and shares related reflections from a co-produced digital storytelling project. The project, which included self-advocates with intellectual disabilities, academics, and support staff was undertaken in Queensland, Australia, in 2018. This paper reflects on the potential and limitations of inclusive research methods by, and with, people with intellectual disabilities. We reflect on and analyse our experiences using a co-production framework and consider how this project increased participation and agency by, with, and for people with intellectual disabilities. The paper concludes with a summary of learnings and recommendations for future co-produced research activities including the importance of taking time to build capacity and establish the required foundations for more inclusive research.

Points of interest

• Historically, researchers tended to conduct research on people with intellectual disabilities instead of researching with people as co-researchers.

• Time and deliberate efforts are needed for all people involved in co-produced research, be they people with disabilities, family and carers, advocates, disability workers or academic researchers, to work together in ways which share power and decision-making.

• This project reflects on the processes used to co-produce individual digital stories and a group digital story about the activities of a long-established group of self-advocates.

• This includes reflecting on how the digital stories were shared and received; and how the research findings have been communicated, to date, including at a national conference about intellectual disability.

• The project demonstrates the value of co-production methods and the extended benefits that can arise from this way of working collaboratively.

Keywords:

• Intellectual disability
• digital storytelling
• inclusive research
• co-production
• capacity building

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.