Getting inside histories of learning disabilities

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on the novel methodology used in a participatory project called ‘Inside the History of Learning Disabilities.’ Through engaging learning-disabled people as co-researchers with valuable insider knowledge and expertise to share, the project sought to disrupt hegemonic discourses around both the history of ’learning disabilities’, and of the lived experience of learning disabilities today. The overall objective was to make an important contribution to the growing field of interdisciplinary and emancipatory research about learning disabilities. The year-long project used a bespoke, two-step methodology in addressing this objective, combining archival research with a series of participatory focused workshops. Traditional methods and academic expertise in archival research and textual analysis were combined with less orthodox approaches to elicit insider knowledge about learning disabilities, which was then expressed in a range of ways. These expressions provide preliminary indications of how emancipatory and transformational research aims may be met. The paper makes a contribution to the discourse around new and emerging action research methodologies which seek to promote social justice. It describes away to not only recognise and challenge the oppression and exclusion encountered by disabled people, but to advocate for appreciation of disability and the insider-knowledge learning-disabled people have.

KEYWORDS:

• Learning disability
• disability
• history
• methodology
• participatory
• emancipatory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. Ableism refers to the belief that non-disabled people are superior to disabled people; disablism refers to prejudicial actions taken against disabled people.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by the British Academy/JISC Digital Research in the Humanities Grant DRH18\180095