“One Day, Will This be also My Land Where I Belong?”: A Narrative Participative Study with a Young Woman’s Experiences of Reading and Writing Development, Having Severe Speech and Physical Impairment

Abstract

The backdrop to this project is earlier studies showing a plateau in children’s, with severe speech and physical impairment (SSPI), literacy learning at beginner’s phases. The study has a transformative, participatory, and inclusive research approach. Research questions focus on what contributed the most to continued lifelong literacy development, according to existing research, and a young woman’s narrative. Her chosen significant experiences and processes were investigated through a narrative inquiry in an e-mail dialog. A contextual case-based analysis was made by the first author with member checking with the participant/co-author. Findings are the importance of lifelong identity building, functional assistive technology at school and home, communicative relationships, creative expressions and long-term hopes, goals, and dreams. Conclusions for literacy learning struggles and possibilities of inclusive educational adaptations are discussed and at last, there are recommendations for future research.