Research conducted by Disability Together, in collaboration with We Are The People, Bath Spa University and funded by the Wellcome Trust.

Who are we?

The project is being led by:

  • Ms Leila Manion (Disability Together)
  • Ms Megan Kenneally-Stone (Disability Together)
  • Dr Sarah Batterbury (Postdoctoral Research Assistant – We Are The People) 
  • Dr Theo Blackmore (Senior Research Fellow – We Are The People) 

Disability Together are a disabled peoples’ user-led organisation. They work across the South West to ensure that people with disabilities, long-term health conditions and Deaf British Sign Language users can live active, independent and fulfilling lives. 

What are we aiming to do?

This project aims to explore the lived experiences of a diverse range of disabled people with a specific focus on collecting positive stories of how individuals have overcome and surmounted obstacles and succeeded. The overarching aim is to make disability achievements and resilience more visible to counter the prevailing disability-blame discourse currently emerging in the UK.  

This project will explore important questions, including:  

  1. What are the experiences of a range disabled individuals in overcoming life obstacles despite disabling environments or embodied health conditions?  
  2. What strategies and problem-solving techniques have they used? 
  3. What achievements have they been most proud of? 
  4. Additional probing questions include, but are not limited to, the following areas: 
  • Peer support and communication 
  • Social life / activity (linked with hobbies) 
  • Staying well  
  • Disability “pride” / positive affirming things 
  • Keeping busy 
  • Technology prompts (potentially including medical technologies) 
  • Living a good life 
  • Learning – what do they enjoy learning? 
  • Sharing skills and learning: what they want to learn about? And giving – what do they want to give? 

How are we conducting the project?

The research will conduct around 15 interviews, collecting stories of individual successes and achievements despite social, physical, environmental and health related obstacles. The project aims to empower discussion led by disabled people and therefore allows participants to lead with their own questions within the positive framing of their lived experiences. Participants will have agency in decision making for this research project.  

The project envisages creative outputs / exhibition of stories based on needs of different groups of disabled people. This will be determined as part of the co-production journey. It may take the form of videos, animations, podcasts, policy briefings and other creative outputs.  

Dissemination events may enable other disabled people to come to realise that they also have positively affirming stories and lived experiences: an especially valuable outcome in the current policy context. Specifically, we hope that being able to hear and share the voices of disabled people will bring our experiences to the fore, thereby shifting perspectives and promoting a more nuanced understanding of disability. For instance, exemplified stories may cover such themes as:  

  • Exceptional resilience
  • Heightened problem-solving skills and the ability to create strategies for success
  • A positive sense of self and community
  • Heightened peer support, community and engagement
  • Disability culture and pride
  • Deaf Gain showcasing the beauty of British Sign Language and the culture of Deaf people. 

We will also look to reach non-disabled people, especially policymakers, who will benefit from the counter-narrative of disability as a positive and beneficial aspect of human diversity. 

Get in touch

To find out more or get involved please email:

 

Masthead image credits: Living Options Devon