++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Disability Research Network e-Newsletter: July 2008 - 15th Edition ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++   Editor’s Comments: Welcome to the 15th edition of the Disability Research Network e-newsletter (in association with the Research Institute of Health and Social Change, Manchester Metropolitan University and Breakthrough UK Ltd).  I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to this edition. Please; remember to submit contributions for the next edition by latest 28th July, 2008. When submitting, please remember to use simple text version for easy accessibility. Once again, thank you for your support.   Best Wishes Tsitsi Chataika +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Coordinator’s Comments:  Please find below the 15th e-newsletter from this established but expandable network. Our aims are to provide informal, off the press and informative monthly details of disability research activities, which might be of interest to audiences including disability activists, organisations of disabled people, students, researchers, policy makers, families, practitioners and local authorities. This sharing and networking links into the aims of the Disability Studies Association (http://www.disabilitystudies.net/). This network relies, obviously, on regular monthly input. When contributing, please include the following:   * Funding priorities' which readers might be able to link into for funding bids. The details of your institution and one contact person and their email address * Monthly commitment to provide us with BRIEF information (inc. related web links) about disability research activities you and your colleagues are involved through emails each month me (you will be reminded by email). This could be no more than a few lines – and no attachments – as we want to keep it workable, informal and relatively easy to read. * To provide details on such things as news on forthcoming publications; conferences/seminars you are attending or hosting; funding opportunities of interest to disability researchers; news from local and national government; international disability issues; stories from research; ideas for research that you would like to explore with interested others; disability studies teaching materials and resources; links to new policy and user consultation, etc … * To provide in your email information categorised in terms of your institution e.g. ‘News from the Research Institute of Health and Social Change, Manchester Metropolitan University’; ‘Activities of the disability studies team at University of Northumbria’ * To make the email simple text without loads of formatting for ease    of putting together * To posit other ideas for developing the e-newsletter - perhaps a section on 'possible future research   Very best wishes   Dan Goodley d.goodley@mmu.ac.uk   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  Contents: 1.     News Manchester Metropolitan University, Research & Social Change New Funded Projects - RIHSC 2. News from Leeds University, Centre for Disability Studies 3. News from Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association 4. News from Sync  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1. News from Manchester Metropolitan University Research Institute for Health & Social Change   As part of a British Council funded research project to be based in Sarawak, Malaysia in 2008/9, headed by Professor Dan Goodley and Dr Rebecca Lawthom, both based at Manchester Metropolitan University and linked with Dr Ling How Kee of the University of Sarawak, Malaysia, this research is entitled, “Towards a culturally sensitive disability study: interconnections of disability in and across Malaysia and the UK”.  Three of the research projects included in this research, involving in depth studies of an ethnographic nature that are led by Shaun Grech, Anne Kellock and Dr Tsitsi Chataika are outlined below:    (a) Shaun Grech's Study (Malta, PhD Student) Email: shaungrech@gmail.com   Project Title - Disability and poverty in Rural Malaysia The main object of Shaun Grech’s study is the exploration of the dynamics operating in the relationship between disability and poverty among disabled poor adults within the Malaysian rural context and cultures. More specifically, the qualitative study will bridge the gap between disability and development and seeks to: explore the role of cultural factors, beliefs, and language in local understandings of disability and poverty and their role in the process of disablement; identify the needs, priorities and sources of livelihoods of disabled people; explore the social, economic and political impacts of disability and the factors and processes through which poverty transitions occur; gain insight into the institutional, organizational and policy environment and impacts at micro levels; and finally explore intra-household processes and their impacts on disabled people. The study will be located in the ethnographic tradition and will employ unstructured in-depth interviews and participant observation with disabled adults, and interviews with family members, in an effort to explore intra-household beliefs, attitudes and behaviours towards disability, and dynamics and interactions. Analysis will make use of grounded theory, and will employed insights from development theory and concepts, including the Capabilities Approach and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework in an effort to open a space for epistemological encounters between disability and development studies.   (b) Anne Kellock's Study - Manchester Metropolitan University (PhD Student) - Manchester Institute for Research and Innovation in Art and Design [MIRIAD]) Email: A.Kellock@mmu.ac.uk   Project Title - A visual methodology analysis of disability, family and community in Sarawak: Well-being of disabled and non-disabled primary school children in Malaysia in one rural setting: through photography.    Anne Kellock is  working with children in the same cultural context as Shaun, exploring the daily experience of children with a disability of those with a family member with a disability.  The project will be examining the inclusive education of children living in remote areas and will consider the wider implications for their communities and families through a visual methodological approach, along with a participatory action research approach.  The research would involve working alongside children to experience their school and home life within their particular community, building an understanding of well-being.  The children would take part in a project using mobile phone technology to capture through photography, their normal day experience at school and home over the period of seven days.  In addition, children will take photographs to demonstrate what is important to them at school and within the community considering what may influence their well-being.  This project would be a short and intense experience with the children and reflections of the project would be an essential part of the process.  Analysis of this study will involve a new theoretical approach being applied that combines Sen’s Capability Approach with Community Psychology to build a deeper understanding of the experiences of the children involved in the study in terms of capabilities and functionings in the context of the specific community.   (c) Dr Tsitsi Chataika's Study - Manchester Metropolitan University (Postdoctoral Research Fellow) Email: t.chataika@yahoo.co.uk   Project Title - The social model of disability and postcolonial analyses of disability in Malaysia   The main object of this qualitative study is to develop an understanding of barriers facing disabled people in Malaysia by exploring the Social Model of Disability and postcolonial analyses of disability in Malaysia. The research process will be informed by the social ecosystem framework (Chataika, 2007). The social ecosystem framework, which is premised upon Bronfenbrenner’s assertion that humans have the potential to shape their world in “intricate physical, social, technological and cultural ways” (Bronfenbrenner, 2004, pxviii), was developed during my doctoral studies to investigate the experiences of disabled students in higher education. My thesis’ title is “Inclusion of disabled students in higher education in Zimbabwe: From idealism to reality – a social ecosystem perspective”. While the popular view has been that psychologists studied the human mind, sociologists focused on the family, anthropologists on culture, and so on, Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological model challenges and transforms how social and behavioural scientists approach the study of human beings and their environment. The current thinking that regards disability as a social construct, underpinned by the social model of disability necessitated the use of the word “social” in the framework instead of Bronfenbrenner’s “bio”. The social ecosystem framework goes further to widen the scope of Bronfenbrenner’s focus on the physical, social, technological and cultural aspects of human development, to specific elements that are compatible and consistent with the qualitative research methods.   In this project, the social ecosystem framework will therefore allow the researcher to:   * Consider disabled people in context * Consider a whole range of historical, cultural, familial, political, economic, and personal factors that impact on inclusion of disabled people in Malaysia. * Make sense of how disabled people are engaged in disability research in Malaysia * Draw on a host of deep, rich and qualitative data to analyse the position of disabled people in Malaysia. * Bring in postcolonial understanding in disability research as it pertains to the Malaysian context. It is important to bring in postcolonial theory in disability research guided by the social ecosystem in order to conduct a culturally sensitive research.    The qualitative study will utilise narrative and ethnography since the study endeavours to engage with issues confronting disabled people within the specific Malaysian context and cultures. It is anticipated that unstructured in-depth interviews, documentary analysis, shadowing, participant observation and focus groups will be employed. Participants would be selected on voluntary basis, putting into consideration; their involvement in disability issues/research (e.g. disabled people, advocates, disability researchers, families of disabled people, and disabled people’s organisations).   Analysis will be ongoing throughout the data collection period, and I will make use of narrative analysis (Bell, 1999; Muller, 1999; Ezzy, 2002), employing insights from the social ecosystem framework (Chataika, 2007).   Field data will be analysed using narrative analysis, which is ‘theory-driven’ through (i) the use of the social ecosystem framework and, (ii) guided by theoretical resources of disability studies, inclusion and postcolonial literatures. The methodology to be utilised is similar to, and expands on the analysis strategies of grounded theory (Glaser, 1978), and thematic analysis (Bell, 1999). The field work data will most probably be analysed using Muller’s five stages of narrative analysis. Muller (1999, p221-238) describes the following narrative analytical stages:   1. Entering the text - reading and preliminary coding to gain familiarity 2. Interpreting – finding connections in the data through successive readings and reflection 3. Verifying – searching the text and other sources for alternative explanations and confirmatory (and disconfirmatory) data 4. Representing – writing up an account of what has been learned 5. Illustrating – selecting representative codes 2. News from University of Leeds, Centre for Disability Studies Contact: Professor Mark Priestley Email: M.A.Priestley@leeds.ac.uk   (a) We are pleased to announce the publication of a new title in the Disability Press book series, Disability Studies; emerging insights and perspectives, edited by Thomas Campbell, Fernando Fontes, Laura Hemingway , Armineh Soorenian and Chris Till.   (b) Stuart Murray (English) published his new book - 'Representing Autism: culture, narrative, fascination', which explores representations of autism in literature and film and also draws on his experience as a parent.   (c) Representatives of disabled people’s organisations from 14 countries will attend a research summer school in Leeds in July, as part of the EuRADE project   (d) Colin Barnes (Sociology and Social Policy) gave the opening plenary paper, on 'Disability Studies, the Academy and Inclusion', to the first major social science conference on disability in France.   (e) Mark Priestley (Sociology and Social Policy) made an invited presentation to the European Union High Level Group on Disability in Brussels ( Belgium ) on the work of the EU Commission's Academic Network of European Disability experts (ANED).   3. News from the Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association - ZPHCA   Zimbabwe is one of the countries with a large parental organisation for children with disabilities. It is a wonderful organisation that is empowering parents and those with disabilities. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with this organisation so that you help empowering them if need be in many ways. Below is a short description of this organisation.   (a) WHAT IS ZPHCA? Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association (ZPHCA) is a mutual support and advocacy association for parents of children and young adults presenting all forms of disabilities. It is a watchdog for the preservation and promotion of the rights of children and young adults with disabilities, in the interest of equality and justice. ZPHCA does not have any political attachments/affiliations. The association seeks to present opportunities for parents whose lives have been in despair, social isolation, stigma, helplessness, and trauma. The opportunities that the association presents include, parents coming together to share ideas, experiences and information on the rights and general welfare of children with disabilities. The association creates support networks that harness community based initiatives identified by parents that do not seek to force children with disabilities to change, but influence social change towards positive attitudes that promote creation of a society for all.   (b) MISSION STATEMENT Zimbabwe Parents of Handicapped Children Association is an Association for parents of children with all forms of disabilities. Members of the association value the importance uplifting the welfare of handicapped children through giving children their rights as enshrined in the UN Declaration of the Children’s’ rights irrespective of the degree of disability .The association hopes that the rights of children to Education, Health, and Social Welfare and Freedom of Association will be promoted in families, communities and protected in wider society. (c) OUR VISION The vision of the association is to give parents opportunity to share ideas on looking after handicapped children and generate issues that help in: -Improving the life of disabled children through protecting their rights as stated in the UN Declaration on children’s rights and representing them in areas where their rights are violated. -Finding relevant assistance that is needed by disabled children and representing them because some will not be able to represent themselves throughout their entire life.   Compiled by: Makias Tamai Nyamhanza (ZPHCA-Nyanga  Branch) P.O. Box 171 Nyanga, Zimbabwe Mobile. +263-11- 884 -123, +965-7162-714, Phone:  +965-261-6681 Email: winmee2003@yahoo.co.uk   4. News from Sync Website: http://www.syncleadership.com/ Email: sync@adainc.org Phone/text: 07504 794324 Write to: Sync, Spring House, Spring Farm Lane, Harden, BD16 1BS   What is Sync?  Sync comes from the idea of syncopation, defined as the 'emphasis on a normally un-emphasised beat'. It’s a leadership development programme for disabled people and people with long term health conditions. It builds on some of the information from the leadership development days and aims to share a range of experiences and perspectives. Sync100 is the online development programme and people can sign up now to receive regular e-bulletins and to join a disability/leadership focused Basecamp. Sync100 will run until June 2009 and any disabled person interested in leadership and working in, or aspiring to work in the creative and cultural industries is able to join. Sync20 will be a bespoke training programme for 20 People selected from the Sync100 group. We could really do with pushing the information out to as many people as possible so that we don’t just reach the ‘usual suspects’ but also reach people who are in mainstream contexts and who might have a different viewpoint. People can get more information, read the different perspectives of those currently involved and also join up themselves at the website – www.syncleadership.com   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ NB: A copy of this Newsletter is available at: http://www.breakthrough-uk.com/DRN.shtml   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ END OF NEWSLETTER For any further contributions and information contact:   Dr Tsitsi Chataika Email: t.chataika@yahoo.co.uk Tel/Fax: +44113 293 8749 or +4479 03859902 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++   1