I’ve been following this thread with interest being involved, as a
disabled person, in disability research myself. Indeed, as I read
through the many contributions and opinions expressed here, I couldn’t
help reflect on my own position within the research process.
During reading these exchanges, I couldn’t help noticing that authors on
the list are using different terms and definitions of disability which
further complicates matters. I prefer to use the terms ‘disabled’ and
‘non-disabled’, since the alternatives proposed such as ‘able-bodied’
appear to be oblivious to the socio-political implication of disability
within the context of the social model.
This brings me to the very core of the issue, should non-disabled
researchers (and not able-bodied researchers please) be involved in
‘disability research’? Once again, the answer depends on what we
understand by ‘disability research’. For all intents and purposes, it
may be argued that even ‘medical sociology’ and positivist approaches to
the issue of disability may be deemed as being ‘disability research’.
I think when we are referring to ‘disability research’ on this list, we
are writing about ‘emancipatory disability research’. If my assumption
is right, the inclusion of the term ‘emancipatory’ in the whole term
changes matters quite a bit. Indeed, the aim of emancipatory research
should be to change or transform the material and social relations of
research production, and thus, empower disabled people to take control
over the research process itself (Oliver 1992).
While this doesn’t in any way exclude the role disabled allies have in
research, it is clearly stating that who is writing the research matters
and removes the pretence of ‘objectivity’. Indeed, inasmuch as our
non-disabled allies may understand and help in improving our lives, the
role of emancipatory research is to equalise the relationship between
researcher and the researched. A relationship that has been lopsided
for a long time now and still is in many respects...
In simple terms, denying that it makes no difference if one is disabled
or not effectively implies that White people can talk about black
people’s issues and decide without them on their lives, that men can
speak on behalf of women and exclude them, etc. Does this pattern sound
familiar? These members within our population have been silenced chiefly
because they were considered as incapable of speaking for themselves.
Unfortunately, as regards disabled people, this is still happening
today. Believe me, I’m not claiming that disabled people have a
privileged position in disability research but that we shouldn’t
forget that we can never fully detach ourselves from who we are and what
kind of experiences we have had. As a disabled adult, I have often faced
people who patronised me, who treated me like a child. On more than one
occasion, I had to deliver a talk below the podium as the podium had
only steps. I ask, how many non-disabled academics have faced similar
experiences? And how many of you have to book accessible transport days
before to attend a seminar because they cannot use public transport?
These are all experiences faced by us, disabled people, on a daily
basis.
Undeniably, collaboration between disabled and non-disabled people
should be encouraged. But I believe that suggesting that whether a
disabled person or not carries out research makes no difference flies in
the face of the whole idea of EMPOWERING disabled people a voice or to
discuss issues related to us ‘without us’ or by using us as mere
research subjects. Where is the change in the social and material
relations of research production happening there? Worse still, there’s
the real risk that research of this kind is used to improve personal
careers of non-disabled people whilst disabled people remain to face the
status quo. Remember Miller and Gwynne?
REFERENCE
Oliver, M. (1992) ‘Changing the Social Relations of Research
Production?’, Disability, Handicap and Society, Volume 7 (2), pp. 101 -
114.
________
Gordon C. Cardona
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
read my blogs...
Gordon's D-Zone: my personal blog
http://GD-Zone.blogspot.com
Zyhil: my creative blog
http://Zyhil.blogspot.com
Cosmos Online: my online book blog
http://CosmosOnline.blogspot.com
***
"All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual"
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
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