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Disabled People and Disability Research(ers) Collaborations and Conflicts

Disabled People and Disability Research(ers) Collaborations and Conflicts. Nasjonalt dokumentasjonssenter for personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne Oslo 7. December 2006 Rannveig Traustadóttir Professor. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers) Collaborations and Conflicts. Overview

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Disabled People and Disability Research(ers) Collaborations and Conflicts

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  1. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Collaborations and Conflicts Nasjonalt dokumentasjonssenter for personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne Oslo 7. December 2006 Rannveig Traustadóttir Professor UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  2. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Collaborations and Conflicts Overview • NNDR: Nordic Network for Disability Research • DSA: Disability Studies Association (UK) • Disability Studies - Disability Research • Disabled People and Disability Research(ers) • Collaborations and Conflicts • What is Disability Research? • Conclusion UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  3. NNDRNordic Network on Disability Research • 1992 FUN, Forskning om utveklingshemming I Norden (Nordic Intellectual Disability Research) • 1997 NNDR, Nordic Network on Disability Research • 1999 SJDR, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  4. Nordic Disability Research From NNDR Statutes • NNDR is a multidisciplinary network of disability researchers interested in cultural, societal and environmental dimensions of disability and marginalization. • The purpose and intention of NNDR is to promote and advance research and development in the field of disability. UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  5. Nordic Disability Research cont… From NNDR Statutes cont… • NNDR provides a forum for disability researchers, particularly from the Nordic countries, to meet, present and discuss their research, as well as encouraging Nordic and international exchange and collaboration. UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  6. Nordic Network on Disability Research • NNDR has defined a number of priorities to work on • One of these priorities is to recruit disabled researchers UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  7. UK Disability Studies Association From DSA web site (Lancaster University) • Disability Studies is concerned with the inter-disciplinary development of an increasing body of knowledge and practice, which has arisen from the activities of the disabled people’s movement, and which has come to be known as ‘the social model of disability’ UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  8. UK Disability StudiesAssociationcont… From DSA web site cont… • The social model of disability locates the changing character of disability, which is viewed as an important dimension of inequality, in the social and economic structure and culture of the society in which it is found, rather than in individual limitations. UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  9. UK focus: Disability Studies The social model of disability Linked with activities of the disabled people’s movement Nordic focus: Disability Research No one single model or theory of disability Not a stated link to activities of the disabled people’s movement Main Differences UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  10. Disability Studies • Belongs to a group of ‘new’ multidisciplinary fields of study, e.g. • Feminist/ women’s/ gender studies • Lesbian and gay/ queer studies • Ethnic minority studies UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  11. Disability Studies and Other Multidisciplinary Fields of Study • Similarities • Roots in social movements aimed to end oppression and marginalization – the radical branch of academia • Scholarship and activism • Research should be for people not just about them • Opposition to taken-for-granted view of ‘normal’ • Critique of dominant theories and understandings • Challenge key concepts • Develop new research approaches and methods • The biological and the social • And many more … UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  12. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Collaborations and Conflicts • Some disabled people are suspicious toward research and researchers • especially non-disabled researchers • disabled academics also have conflicts with the disabled people’s movement • Who can do research with whom? UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  13. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Collaborations and Conflicts • Traditional disability research • Has viewed disability from an individual and medical perspective; as a negative aspect of human diversity and a personal tragedy • Researchers have often taken the non-critical stance of ‘scientific objectivity’ – and thereby re-created and re-affirmed pathological understanding of disability and legitimized discrimination UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  14. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Collaborations • What possibilities do disabled people have to influence and take part in research? • Who decides what is being studied and how the research is carried out? • Are researchers focusing on issues of importance to disabled people? • To what extent is disabled people a part of the research process? • Can they criticize the study and influence it? • What about the findings? UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  15. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Collaborations • Different traditions of collaboration • Participatory Research • Partnership Research • Inclusive Research • Emancipatory Research • Action Research UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  16. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Collaborations Many different ways of collaboration • Collaboration in preparing and planning the study • Advisory groups • Advise from disabled individuals • Co-researchers • Feedback on draft of findings • Joint writing • Collaborative life history work UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  17. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Conflicts • Can researchers be responsible to disabled people or their movement? • Disabled people are such a diverse group that it is impossible to be responsible to all disabled people • Conflict between academic freedom and responsibility to disabled people’s movement • Academia expects researchers to do (often very) different kinds of research and writing than is of most interest to the disabled people’s movement UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  18. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Conflicts • Disabled people’s organizations want small scale practical studies that support political activism • Academics want to, and are expected to, do • studies that are large scale/in-depth • studies in an international context or collaboration • Other studies do not count much in academic circles or succeed in the competition for funding UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  19. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Conflicts • The disabled people’s movement does not prioritize research • has been difficult for some researchers to find collaborators • Mostly, disabled people and the disabled people’s movement have not been interested in NNDR • It has been difficult to attract disabled people to disability studies and disability research UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  20. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)What is Disability Research? • Disability research is not activism by other means • Researchers should be accountable to their respondents not to organizations • Disability studies is about understanding and representing the experiences and views of disabled people • What it is like to have particular impairment • What people with different impairments think and say about their lives • What impact impairment has on family life, on self-esteem, on participation, etc. UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  21. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)What is Disability Research? • Disability studies is about society’s responses to the challenges of impairment and inclusion • social, medical, educational, psychological, legal, economic, political • Disability studies depends on sound empirical research • not slogans or ideologies 5. Disability studies researchers should be engaged and committed, but their first duty is to the research 6. Strong disability studies research will lead to better disability politics UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  22. How Can we Support Disabled Researchers? • Not necessary to have an impairment to do disability research • Important to promote academic careers for disabled people • Research by disabled people is vital for DS • Access to higher education is vital for disabled people • Partnership between disability organizations and disability research • Disability organizations commissioning, leading and supporting research UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  23. Disabled People and Disability Research(ers)Conclusion • Collaboration between disabled people and disability researchers is important • Will benefit both • Disabled people should have a say about disability research • ‘Nothing about us without us’ • Important to increase the number of disabled researchers in the Nordic countries • Create a forum for disabled people and researchers to discuss research priorities, ways to collaborate, how to use and disseminate findings and other important issues UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

  24. Next NNDR Conference Gothenburg, Sweden May 10 - 12, 2007 http://www.nndr2007.com or http://www.nndr.dk UNIVERSITY OF ICELAND

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