Creating a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities: Findings from participatory action research

The goal of this participatory action research (PAR) project was to engage and empower students with disabilities and raise awareness of disability-related issues to campus communities. Ten student co-researchers and six faculty/staff co-researchers attended weekly research meetings to discuss challenges faced by students with disabilities. The team presented PAR findings to the campus community as their action project. Twelve themes generated by the co-researchers were presented and illuminated lived experiences of students with disabilities within university settings. Themes included the physical university layout and internal experiences such as internalized stigma and isolation from peers. Results of the PAR project as well as a focus group post-PAR project describe individual and systemic outcomes. This study demonstrates the power of incorporating students' voices in creating university programming initiatives that not only supports their academic success but also allows students to feel heard and supported. Success in increasing campus inclusion requires a collaboration among key university gatekeepers and students particularly in support of students who may not have visible disabilities.

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Potential of Participatory Action Research Processes to Overcome Epistemic Injustice in Non-ideal University Settings

Participatory Research, Capabilities and Epistemic Justice ◽

10.1007/978-3-030-56197-0_10 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 243-259

Author(s):

Alejandra Boni ◽

Melanie Walker

Keyword(s):

Action Research ◽

Participatory Action Research ◽

Epistemic Injustice ◽

Participatory Action ◽

University Settings

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Utilizing Participatory Action Research to Build an Inclusive Classroom Community in France

10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.1727 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Nicole Eilers

Keyword(s):

Action Research ◽

General Education ◽

Participatory Action Research ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

Inclusive Education ◽

Classroom Community ◽

Inclusive Classroom ◽

Participatory Action ◽

Action Research Project ◽

Research Project

Inclusive education is increasingly prioritized in legislation and policy across the globe. Historically, the concept of inclusion within educational contexts refers primarily to the placement of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. More recent descriptions of inclusive education focus on ensuring that all children can access and participate in physical, social, and academic aspects of the classroom. However, a growing body of research suggests that students continue to experience exclusion even within educational contexts that express a commitment to inclusion. In France, a growing number of private, independent schools seek to create the inclusive environments that, despite the ministry of education’s initiatives focused on inclusion, the public school system does not yet provide. One such school engaged in a participatory action research project to create an inclusive classroom that responded to the evolving needs and interests of the community, resulting in a sense of belonging for all members. As all classroom community members (students, families, and teachers) participated in the project of creating an inclusive classroom, the elements of participatory action research allowed inclusion to become a flexible, ongoing, and reflexive practice of identifying and responding to contextually specific needs of classroom members. Approaching inclusion as a participatory action research project in the classroom offers a promising approach to moving beyond interpretations of inclusion that fail to actively address pervasive inequalities and their impact on classroom experiences.

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