La «voz» de las personas con discapacidad intelectual en investigación educativa. Repensando las prácticas de investigación

Authors

Susana Rojas PerniaSalto de línea Universidad de Cantabria. Facultad de Educación. Departamento de Educación. Área de Didáctica y Organización Escolar. Santander, España.

Abstract

The «Voice» of People with Learning Difficulties in Educational Research. Re-thinking Research PracticesSalto de línea Salto de línea This paper is the result of a research work whose aim was that of showing how a group of young people with learning difficulties was supported or limited in their personal choices, decisions or self-management actions which they had to fulfil every day. Taking into account a particular experience such as that of group-homes,we tried to identify those elements which conditioned young people taking part in daily events in a greater extent. During three months, we went to group-homes and used a variety of institutional documents, professional interviews and observations made by these young people with learning difficulties in order to question and re-think the type of professional relationships which are established and maintained with this type of people, among many other aspects.Salto de línea This article has two main objectives: on the one hand, to show some of the contradictions encountered during the research process and, on the other hand, think about the existing difficulties associated with breaking away from the established traditional ways of carrying out research works on disability. The following pages show, through different examples, the way in which we picked up ‘the voice’ of one of the people with learning difficulties with whom we spent a long time (Xavier) and describe some of the contributions he tackled (a valuable proof based on the importance of non-verbal communication when talking about people who use preferably alternative systems of communication).Salto de línea Likewise, the article provides the answer to some of the questions proposed during the research project whereas some others are opened to continuous reflection.

Keywords

Participative research, self-determination, social model of disability, people with learning difficulties, living in communities, group-homes, non-verbal communication.