From Dan Goodley and Paul Ramcharan
(co-directors of the Centre of Applied Disability Studies - COADS)
OPEN INVITATION
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The Official Launch of the Centre of Applied Disability Studies (COADS).
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[Please help us to publicise this event].
Keynote presentation ‘Bridging the Gap’: Researching the Interface between
Disabled and Non-disabled People
Dr Claire Tregaskis
University of Plymouth
15th March 2006
2.00 – 3.30pm
Pod Conference Room (First Floor)
ICOSS Building
(Informatics Collaboratory of the Social Sciences)
University of Sheffield
219 Portobello
Sheffield
(map from http://www.shef.ac.uk/content/1/c6/03/72/52/ICOSS_MAP%5B1%5D.pdf)
ABSTRACT
This paper discusses some findings from a research project that explored
disabled people’s potential for social inclusion as users of a mainstream
leisure centre in the English Midlands (Tregaskis, 2004a). The research used a
range of ethnographic methods to uncover what conditions were necessary for
inclusion to occur, including participant-observation, interviewing, document
analysis and the researcher’s open self-presentation as a disabled person in
the setting. A key research finding was that the potential for inclusion, and
for ordinary relationships with non-disabled customers and staff, had less to
do with impairment labels than on the ability to establish an interest-based
link – here, a desire to work out, get fit, and/or socialise with a wider
network of people. Often, in fact, impairment status was less relevant to the
social encounter than factors like gender, commonality of employment
experience, and the perceived status of the person being engaged with. This
finding suggested that people at the leisure centre had moved beyond
conventional social and medical model assumptions of a rigid binary difference
between disabled and non-disabled people (Bury, 1987; Barnes and Mercer,
1996;Thomas, 1999), and were instead utilising multiple aspects of their
identities in order to make connections across difference. The paper discusses
this data, and also considers the potential application of this sort of
multiple identity analysis to other professional and service settings, as a
means of supporting the development of more inclusive practice.
ABOUT THE KEYNOTE
Dr Claire Tregaskis is a Research Fellow in the Faculty of Health and Social
Work at the University of Plymouth. Her main area of research interest is in
Applied Disability Studies, which in her present job involves adding value to
colleagues’ health and social work research by showing how the application of
disability theory can extend the scope of their connection with service users.
A key personal and research concern, discussed in this presentation, lies in
exploring the interface between disabled and non-disabled people, and in
seeking ways of making connections across difference. Her recent publications
include:
GOODLEY, D., & TREGASKIS, C., (in press, March 2006) ‘Parents of Disabled
Babies: retrospective accounts of disabled family life and social theories of
disability’ Qualitative Health Research
TREGASKIS, C. (2004a) Constructions of Disability: Researching the Interface
between Disabled and Non-disabled People, London, Routledge.
TREGASKIS, C. (2004b) ‘Social Model Theories and Non-Disabled People: some
possibilities for connection’, in C. Barnes and G. Mercer (eds) Implementing
the Social Model of Disability: theory and research, Leeds, The Disability
Press.
ATTENDING
To confirm attendance, for access requirements or for further details please
email Nicola Salkeld on [log in to unmask]
For Maps visit http://www.shef.ac.uk/visitors/
ABOUT COADS
The Centre of Applied Disability Studies (COADS) promotes high quality
disability research - applied and interdisciplinary in nature - in order to
improve the lives of disabled people. Based at the University of
Sheffield COADS disseminates its work through research, publications, seminar
series, newsletters and this website in wider pursuit of its aims.COADS aims
to:
+Represent issues identified by disabled people
+Focus exclusively on applied disability studies
+Promote an interdisciplinary research centre that explicitly, openly and
critically draws together a whole host of theory, practice and policy issues in
various areas of health and social welfare.
+Critically reflect upon professional practice and policy
+Embrace everyday narratives, identities, experiences and ambitions
+Theoretically engage with a host of social scientific perspectives about the
social, political, historical, cultural, relational and psychological
construction of ‘impairment’ and 'disability’
+React to contemporary policy, legislation and practice
+Develop methodological innovation – participatory and emancipatory research
MORE DETAILS OF COADS
visit:http://www.shef.ac.uk/applieddisabilitystudies/
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