Abstract
Accessible Summary People with intellectual disabilities who have limited, or no verbal communication can be involved in research. Ethnographic observations and interview techniques can work together with photovoice. More research needs to be completed directly involving people with intellectual disabilities. AbstractBackgroundInclusive research requires adapting methodologies to meet the needs of people with all degrees of intellectual disabilities. However, it must also balance this with the requirements of academic research. Building from previous research a study was completed to illustrate how photovoice could not only be adapted to meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities who have limited or no verbal communication but to also explore how they express their identity.MethodsA qualitative multiple case study method was used to explore identity expression amongst three participants with intellectual disabilities and limited or no verbal communication. The methodology integrated ethnographic observations, photovoice and interview techniques.FindingsIntegrating the ethnographic observations, photovoice and interview techniques offered families and carers the opportunity to become curious about participants' identities, and this methodology was considered valuable in getting to know more about the person.ConclusionsIt is hoped that through conducting research that directly involves people with intellectual disabilities, more creative and inclusive methods can be explored, verified and applied across various research contexts.
Highlights
People with intellectual disabilities who are nonverbal are often left out of academic research, but new creative research methods, such as inviting participants to take photographs, have gone some way to re-address this in recent years
The paper will focus on the reasons why this research is important, how visual methodologies have been applied in inclusive research and how an adapted methodology was created and utilised to explore identity expression
These findings suggest that all three components were important to building a rich understanding of a person's identity
Summary
People with intellectual disabilities who are nonverbal are often left out of academic research, but new creative research methods, such as inviting participants to take photographs (a method known as photovoice), have gone some way to re-address this in recent years. There are challenges to balancing creative methodological approaches to what is considered reliable and valid research In the past, this has led to the exclusion of people with more severe forms of intellectual disabilities (Cluley, 2016; Mietola et al, 2017). Inclusive research requires adapting methodologies to meet the needs of people with all degrees of intellectual disabilities It must balance this with the requirements of academic research. Building from previous research a study was completed to illustrate how photovoice could be adapted to meet the needs of people with intellectual disabilities who have limited or no verbal communication but to explore how they express their identity. Conclusions: It is hoped that through conducting research that directly involves people with intellectual disabilities, more creative and inclusive methods can be explored, verified and applied across various research contexts
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