Structures, social constructions and stories: the debate thus far
Dan Goodley, Inclusive Education and Equality Research Centre, University of Sheffield
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to step back, from the adoption of particular approaches to research, by asking wider questions about their practical uses and political significance. A critical (re)view of some approaches to research is provided. The specific focus of this paper is the relationship between research and disabled people. People with impairments whether they are physical, sensory or 'cognitive' have traditionally been oppressed by psychological research. This oppression is rooted in assumptions that view such impairments as violating individuals' very personhoods: so that 'having learning difficulties' (which used to be known as 'mental handicap') inevitably leads to consequent deficits in everyday living. However, recent developments in research thinking have challenged these individualistic assumptions and, in contrast, unearthed the ways in which people with impairments are disabled by societies that threaten to exclude them from mainstream activities. Two research approaches can be identified - narrative and discursive approaches to research - that promise much in terms of highlighting the social causes of disability. Yet, these approaches are in danger of ignoring a variety of phenomena that are crucial to an understanding of impairment and disability, thus recreating oppression so characteristic of traditional psychological understandings of disability. This paper therefore critically considers the strengths and weaknesses of these emerging new research paradigms, provides a practical example of combining the two, while also examining how researchers and professionals relate to incidents of resistance and consciousness raising put forward by disabled activists outside of the normal channels of research.