Big Ideas That Changed the World of Disability: Exploring Theory with Self-Advocates

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Big Ideas That Changed the World of Disability: Exploring Theory with Self-Advocates
Language: English
Authors: Nicola Grove (ORCID 0000-0002-0167-0917), Simon Richards, Simon Rice, Claudia Magwood, Bryan Collis (ORCID 0000-0001-8725-3649), Steffen Martick, Saskia Schuppener, Gertraud Kremsner, Elizabeth Tilley (ORCID 0000-0003-4665-394X), Jan Walmsley
Source: British Journal of Learning Disabilities. 2024 52(4):687-699.
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 13
Publication Date: 2024
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Electronic Learning, Workshops, Inclusion, Learning Disabilities, Intellectual Disability, Researchers, Experimenter Characteristics, Self Advocacy, Disabilities, Research, Activism, Theory Practice Relationship, Participatory Research, Accessibility (for Disabled), Theories, Higher Education, Foreign Countries
Geographic Terms: Germany
DOI: 10.1111/bld.12611
ISSN: 1354-4187
1468-3156
Abstract: Background: Inclusive research has sidelined discussion of theoretical issues with researchers with intellectual/learning disabilities. This is a situation which the Big Ideas initiative sought to change. Between 2021 and 2023, the Open University, Leipzig University and the University of Koblenz organised nine workshops to explore influential theories in disability research. The objective was to share a theory (Big Idea) that sheds light on disability with self-advocates and discuss how it relates to their experience. By making theories accessible and discussing how they relate to lived experience, we aimed to inform self-advocates and activist researchers about key concepts in disability, deepen their capacity for research and campaigning, and better equip them to activate for change. Methods: The online workshops were evaluated by observers. These observations were used by an inclusive group of activist researchers as the basis for an overall evaluation of the project. Findings: People with learning disabilities can engage with complex theories if these are presented accessibly alongside opportunities for reflective discussion. Input from self-advocates helps to broaden and deepen theoretical understanding. An unanticipated but important finding was that the Big Ideas workshops created a new space in which academics and self-advocates could learn together as equals. Conclusions: Making theory accessible and easier to understand is both possible and valuable.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2024
Accession Number: EJ1446895
Database: ERIC
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Abstract:Background: Inclusive research has sidelined discussion of theoretical issues with researchers with intellectual/learning disabilities. This is a situation which the Big Ideas initiative sought to change. Between 2021 and 2023, the Open University, Leipzig University and the University of Koblenz organised nine workshops to explore influential theories in disability research. The objective was to share a theory (Big Idea) that sheds light on disability with self-advocates and discuss how it relates to their experience. By making theories accessible and discussing how they relate to lived experience, we aimed to inform self-advocates and activist researchers about key concepts in disability, deepen their capacity for research and campaigning, and better equip them to activate for change. Methods: The online workshops were evaluated by observers. These observations were used by an inclusive group of activist researchers as the basis for an overall evaluation of the project. Findings: People with learning disabilities can engage with complex theories if these are presented accessibly alongside opportunities for reflective discussion. Input from self-advocates helps to broaden and deepen theoretical understanding. An unanticipated but important finding was that the Big Ideas workshops created a new space in which academics and self-advocates could learn together as equals. Conclusions: Making theory accessible and easier to understand is both possible and valuable.
ISSN:1354-4187
1468-3156
DOI:10.1111/bld.12611