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More researching together: the role of nondisabled researchers in working with People First members
- Authors:
- WILLIAMS Val, SIMONS Ken
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33(1), March 2005, pp.6-14.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
The author described the process by which a team of People First researchers and myself worked together on a small-scale project in Bristol. The project was started by self advocates, and followed their own ideas, although they had support. Walmsley refers to it as a 'team approach, rather than one where the people with learning disabilities are in charge', admitting that the title 'Researching Together' led her to this conclusion. My basic aim in writing this sequel, then, is to consider the notion of 'together'. Is the equation of togetherness about equal roles, or does it automatically imply that one partner is more powerful than the others? This is a practice paper, which offers some analysis of our own experiences in a large-scale, funded research project, in which the self advocates had paid employment as researchers. All members of the team can contribute to this kind of reflexivity. The article concludes that inclusive research is something new, with its own hallmarks and styles. The research supporter has to remain aware of the potential power in her own role, and to be prepared to divest herself of that power and to step back, so that People First members take control of the process of research.