- I am currently working as Policy and Research Officer with Care Alliance Ireland (www.carealliance.ie), which is a no... moreI am currently working as Policy and Research Officer with Care Alliance Ireland (www.carealliance.ie), which is a not-for-profit umbrella organisation working to support family carers though research, policy and macro-level advocacy.
I have also worked extensively in research and policy in the fields of intellectual disability, narrative methods, life story work, and sexuality.edit
Research Interests:
Friendships between 'staff' and 'service users' have had a chequered history. Many services for people with learning disabilities have encouraged different approaches to such friendships. Over time, some have encouraged these friendships,... more
Friendships between 'staff' and 'service users' have had a chequered history. Many services for people with learning disabilities have encouraged different approaches to such friendships. Over time, some have encouraged these friendships, while others have put in place policies disallowing staff to speak to 'clients' of the service outside of the work environment. For those of us working with people with disabilities, sometimes it can be hard to get to know the people we work with as 'real people'.
While oral history is not a new way to work in the UK, in Ireland it is a relatively new and untried activity. Services for people with disabilities are organised in such a way that the priority is often making sure the kitchen floor is washed every day as opposed to having a cup of tea and a chat. Opportunities for getting to know the people we spend time with are lost in the day-to-day running of a house, rather than a home.
Supporting people with disabilities in researching and telling their life stories can create these types of opportunities that are not seized in everyday life in a service. As a follow-up from a national life- story project that ran in Ireland from 2008-2010, my PhD is revisiting the storytellers and staff involved in that original project, and finding out what the experience was like for them. What is coming out of these conversations with both staff and storytellers, is that once the life story project was running, more storytellers became involved in some of those services, supported by staff there.
In this presentation, I am going to focus on the staff perspective. Not because it is more important that the experience of the storytellers, who have disabilities, but because of what it tells us about storytelling, as an activity. The stories of staff that are doing this type of work, show that one of the most important outcomes, for them, is how much they have learned about the people they have known for years. The staff now describe the people they have done this work with as friends and colleagues, rather than service users or clients. The words of both staff and storytellers will be used to illustrate these points throughout the presentation.
While oral history is not a new way to work in the UK, in Ireland it is a relatively new and untried activity. Services for people with disabilities are organised in such a way that the priority is often making sure the kitchen floor is washed every day as opposed to having a cup of tea and a chat. Opportunities for getting to know the people we spend time with are lost in the day-to-day running of a house, rather than a home.
Supporting people with disabilities in researching and telling their life stories can create these types of opportunities that are not seized in everyday life in a service. As a follow-up from a national life- story project that ran in Ireland from 2008-2010, my PhD is revisiting the storytellers and staff involved in that original project, and finding out what the experience was like for them. What is coming out of these conversations with both staff and storytellers, is that once the life story project was running, more storytellers became involved in some of those services, supported by staff there.
In this presentation, I am going to focus on the staff perspective. Not because it is more important that the experience of the storytellers, who have disabilities, but because of what it tells us about storytelling, as an activity. The stories of staff that are doing this type of work, show that one of the most important outcomes, for them, is how much they have learned about the people they have known for years. The staff now describe the people they have done this work with as friends and colleagues, rather than service users or clients. The words of both staff and storytellers will be used to illustrate these points throughout the presentation.
Becoming comfortable with being lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) is difficult for anyone, however as the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities is often ignored, this can be doubly the case for people with disabilities who are... more
Becoming comfortable with being lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) is difficult for anyone, however as the sexuality of people with intellectual disabilities is often ignored, this can be doubly the case for people with disabilities who are LGB. This is a brief overview to get people talking about one of the minorities within a minority, and how they can be supported to be comfortable with themselves.
Aims: The first Irish digital archive of lifestories of people with intellectual disabilities aims to situate itself as a multimedia learning tool for everyone involved in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Method:... more
Aims: The first Irish digital archive of lifestories of people with intellectual disabilities aims to situate itself as a multimedia learning tool for everyone involved in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.
Method: Participants in a lifestory study (‘A Story to Tell’) were offered the option of including their story on a digital archive being built at a University in Ireland. 11 of 22 participants agreed, and stories were anonymised, audio recorded, and subsequently transferred to video format. People with disabilities were consulted as to the look and feel of the final archive, to ensure the archive was as accessible in its online form as possible.
Results: The stories of 11 people with intellectual disabilities are now available for reading, listening and watching online. A space has been provided on the archive for other people to have their stories included. The technical elements of creating the archive and in particular the ethical considerations of such a task will be discussed.
Conclusions: Initial feedback and exposure has shown that these inclusive methods for disseminating lifestories are successful and may have benefits beyond the academic and service provider sphere.
Method: Participants in a lifestory study (‘A Story to Tell’) were offered the option of including their story on a digital archive being built at a University in Ireland. 11 of 22 participants agreed, and stories were anonymised, audio recorded, and subsequently transferred to video format. People with disabilities were consulted as to the look and feel of the final archive, to ensure the archive was as accessible in its online form as possible.
Results: The stories of 11 people with intellectual disabilities are now available for reading, listening and watching online. A space has been provided on the archive for other people to have their stories included. The technical elements of creating the archive and in particular the ethical considerations of such a task will be discussed.
Conclusions: Initial feedback and exposure has shown that these inclusive methods for disseminating lifestories are successful and may have benefits beyond the academic and service provider sphere.
A Story to Tell This project has been funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences. The purpose of the study was to discover what the key events and experiences have been in the lives of older adults with... more
A Story to Tell
This project has been funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences. The purpose of the study was to discover what the key events and experiences have been in the lives of older adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland, and to create an accessible multimedia archive of the stories.
Researchers worked with people with intellectual disabilities (the ‘storytellers’) in an inclusive way to capture their stories using life story methodology. There were no interview schedules or set questions, and thus the material gathered emerged organically, and the topics which were discussed are topics which people with disabilities themselves wished to discuss. These stories were then analysed using inductive thematic analysis at the latent level.
The results of this research topic can be seen in the thematic analysis that has been documented and will soon be published as part of the NIID Monograph series. Some of the key topics that many of the storytellers spoke about are their relationships and friendships; life in rural Ireland in the mid 20th Century; the experience of entering an institution; the death of loved ones and the skills and achievements of people with disabilities.
The resulting stories provide an account of the lives and experiences of people with disabilities. Service provision in Ireland has changed significantly in the past 50 years in Ireland; these stories creative a narrative of those changes in the voice of the individuals who lived through them.
This project has been funded by the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences. The purpose of the study was to discover what the key events and experiences have been in the lives of older adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland, and to create an accessible multimedia archive of the stories.
Researchers worked with people with intellectual disabilities (the ‘storytellers’) in an inclusive way to capture their stories using life story methodology. There were no interview schedules or set questions, and thus the material gathered emerged organically, and the topics which were discussed are topics which people with disabilities themselves wished to discuss. These stories were then analysed using inductive thematic analysis at the latent level.
The results of this research topic can be seen in the thematic analysis that has been documented and will soon be published as part of the NIID Monograph series. Some of the key topics that many of the storytellers spoke about are their relationships and friendships; life in rural Ireland in the mid 20th Century; the experience of entering an institution; the death of loved ones and the skills and achievements of people with disabilities.
The resulting stories provide an account of the lives and experiences of people with disabilities. Service provision in Ireland has changed significantly in the past 50 years in Ireland; these stories creative a narrative of those changes in the voice of the individuals who lived through them.
Being a student on the first full-time third level course for adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland is not without its challenges. College life, for ‘mainstream’ students can be hard to navigate successfully, which is why... more
Being a student on the first full-time third level course for adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland is not without its challenges. College life, for ‘mainstream’ students can be hard to navigate successfully, which is why colleges have a Students Union to work for the students, to make their college years enjoyable and enable students to get as much out of these crucial years as possible.
The Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) is made up of officers and class representatives. These representatives are elected by their peers to represent all students on a given course, and these reps have functions such as sitting on the SU council, being the link between academic staff and students, and organising social events for the students. Having recognition and a voice in the wider community is something that people with disabilities can struggle with.
The students on the Certificate in Contemporary Living course (CCL), the first full-time third level course in Ireland for adults with intellectual disabilities, have held elections to elect their class reps that will sit on the TCDSU, and also sit in staff meetings of the Institute, to have a voice and a say in how their course is structured. Two class reps and one entertainments officer were elected.
Using participatory research methods, these three class representatives gathered information on what their job entails. Using the Photovoice technique, they took photographs that highlighted different aspects of the job, and from that took part in a small focus group where they discussed their six most pertinent photographs to answer the research question- what is it like to be a class representative? They were also, with their permission, observed in their roles by a staff co-researcher, who then discussed that data with them. Thirdly, the class representatives interviewed each other on their experiences and views on being a class representative, and how, if at all, it has enabled them to have a louder voice in the college community.
The Trinity College Dublin Students Union (TCDSU) is made up of officers and class representatives. These representatives are elected by their peers to represent all students on a given course, and these reps have functions such as sitting on the SU council, being the link between academic staff and students, and organising social events for the students. Having recognition and a voice in the wider community is something that people with disabilities can struggle with.
The students on the Certificate in Contemporary Living course (CCL), the first full-time third level course in Ireland for adults with intellectual disabilities, have held elections to elect their class reps that will sit on the TCDSU, and also sit in staff meetings of the Institute, to have a voice and a say in how their course is structured. Two class reps and one entertainments officer were elected.
Using participatory research methods, these three class representatives gathered information on what their job entails. Using the Photovoice technique, they took photographs that highlighted different aspects of the job, and from that took part in a small focus group where they discussed their six most pertinent photographs to answer the research question- what is it like to be a class representative? They were also, with their permission, observed in their roles by a staff co-researcher, who then discussed that data with them. Thirdly, the class representatives interviewed each other on their experiences and views on being a class representative, and how, if at all, it has enabled them to have a louder voice in the college community.