Photovoice Reimagined: A Guide to Supporting the Participation of Students With Intellectual Disabilities in Research

Article 12 of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) (1989) sets out the right for all children to be heard and for their opinions to be given due weight. However, the voices of children with disabilities often remain silenced as their perspectives are rarely consulted. This paper describes how a visual, participatory research method called Photovoice was used to elicit the voices of students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in mainstream post-primary schools in the Republic of Ireland. Thirteen students with ID in four schools across Ireland participated by taking photographs of aspects of their school life that were meaningful to them. Photographs focused on places, spaces, objects and examples of learning, including their role in decision making. This paper details the stages of the Photovoice method which was adapted to support students to participate in the research process. It provides guidance on how to address the ethical and methodological concerns which arise when researching with children. It outlines a two-step approach to analysis, where participating students interpreted and created meaning which was further developed by the Principal Investigator. Employing Photovoice repositions students in this study as co-researchers and co-creators of meaning. Its use operationalises Lundy’s Model of Participation (2007) by providing space, voice, audience and influence which are necessary for children to express their views and have their voices heard in an ethical and inclusive manner.