Resources search

"Autism is me": an investigation of how autistic individuals make sense of autism and stigma

BOTHA, Monique
DIBB, Bridget
FROST, David M
2020

Expand view

There are many different perspectives for understanding autism. These perspectives may each convey different levels of stigma for autistic individuals. This qualitative study aimed to understand how autistic individuals make sense of their own autism and experience the stigma attached to autism. The study used critical grounded theory tools. Participants (N1⁄420) discussed autism as central to their identity, and integral to who they are. While participants thought of autism as value neutral, they expressed how society confers negative meanings onto autism, and thus, them. The findings also indicate that different understand- ings of autism confer different levels of stigma. Participants expressed constant exposure to stigma and managed this stigma in different ways. Such methods included reframing to more positive understandings of autism, the reclamation of language, and using concealment and disclosure stra- tegically. The implications of these findings are discussed further in the article.

Using participatory and creative methods to facilitate emancipatory research with people facing multiple disadvantage: a role for health and care professionals

KRAMER-ROY, Debbie
2015

Expand view

Participatory and creative research methods are a powerful tool for enabling active engagement in the research process of marginalised people. It can be par- ticularly hard for people living with multiple disadvantage, such as disabled peo- ple from ethnic minority backgrounds, to access research projects that are relevant to their lived experience. This article argues that creative and participa- tory methods facilitate the co-researchers’ engagement in the research process, which thus becomes more empowering. Exploring the congruence of these meth- ods with their professional ethos, health and care professionals can use their skills to develop them further. Both theory and practice examples are presented.

Challenging perceptions of disability through performance poetry methods: the ‘Seen but Seldom Heard’ project

HODGES, Caroline E M
FENGE, Lee-Ann
CUTTS, Wendy
2014

Expand view

This paper considers performance poetry as a method to explore lived experiences of disability. We discuss how poetic inquiry used within a participatory arts-based research framework can enable young people to collectively question society’s attitudes and actions towards disability. Poetry will be considered as a means to develop a more accessible and effective arena in which young people with direct experience of disability can be empowered to develop new skills that enable them to tell their own stories. Discussion of how this can challenge audiences to critically reflect upon their own perceptions of disability will also be developed.

E-bulletin