Research project Research methods to explore children's experiences of living with invisible disabilities
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes that children have the right to give their opinions freely on issues that affect them. To enjoy their human rights children with disabilities may in addition to age appropriate support, need adaptations to manage their disability, to enable them to attain their rights and freedoms.
In recent decades there has been an increased interest in participatory research methods to provide for children to participate and make their voices heard within research projects. It is against this backdrop, that in we in this project explore the potentiality of visual methods, the photo-elicitation method and the draw and write method, to explore childrens experiences of living with invisible disaiblities, severe food allergy and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).
Project description
This project is carried out in a collaboration between the Department of Special Education, Stockholm University and Nottingham Trent University, UK. It draws on two qualitative studies with children and young people with food allergy and ADHD, respectively. The children in both studies are the same age (ages 11 to16 years) and have been offered several ways to participate and express themselves in each project, including visual research methods. Here, we analyze the empirical material generated by visual research methods in the two studies. The photo-elicitation method etails that the young people were equipped with a camera to photograph their own local environment with a focus on life with their allery. Via the draw and write method, children have told about their life with their ADHD through their drawings.
The project will contribute to knowledge about a stage in life where children and young people gradually learn to manage their disability as they grow older and become more independent. To gain more knowledge about children's and young people's own perspective on their disability and how they manage it in interaction with others is important, since such research still largely is lacking. Not least, this applies to young people's experiences of their food allergy and their ADHD, both of which are invisible conditions that others need to be aware of and pay attention to. This project will also contribute to methodological knowledge about how to do research with children and young people.
Project members
Project managers
Marie-Louise Stjerna
Universitetslektor
Members
Marie-Louise Stjerna
Universitetslektor
Geraldine Brady
Professor
