Participatory Research with People who have a Earning Difficulty: Journeys without a Map

Abstract

Emancipatory research has become a focus of interest in the field of disability studies. Despite concerns over its methodological and epistemological position it continues to stimulate debate. Widely adopted by those concerned with social inequity it has become influential in the arena of researching the lives of people who have learning difficulties. Some recent commentators have attempted to use a collaborative approach in conducting their research and in doing so have discovered problems in trying to make the process truly participative. Are these problems inherent in the research design or are they contingent upon the nature of the relationship between the researcher and the researched? This paper considers the theoretical background and the practical problems in the light of the author's experiences of collaborating on a small-scale presentational project with a young man who has a learning difficulty. It is suggested that the purpose of emancipatory research must be made transparent if the intentions are to be translated into a reality. This honesty is necessary in order to appreciate the difference in intention and outcome which will necessarily be shared by parties who approach a ‘common problem’ from different perspectives.