Ableism unveiled
Rosa Bellacicco, Silvia Dell’Anna
In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in international literature towards ableism. These phenomena of discrimination have a significant impact on the life of people with disabilities; however, their pervasiveness in the general population has not been investigated sufficiently. This article outlines a participatory research co-conducted with experts with disabilities in Italy. Critical reflections on the topic were guided by people with disabilities’ insider perspectives on their everyday experiences and organized in a conceptual framework based on the UNCRPD. The paper discusses in detail the phases of this participatory inquiry, and the specificities and challenges of research about, with, and for persons with disabilities. As a final product, the research team co-constructed an instrument to investigate the prevalence of ableist attitudes in the general population and raising awareness. This research approach responds to the urgent need of actively involving people with disability in participatory inquiry on issues relevant to their existence.
Keywords
Participatory research, Qualitative approach, Ableism, Instrument development, Disability.
