Working with Deafblind people to develop a good practice approach

Abstract

Summary

There is growing recognition of the importance in social research and social policy development of engaging with people with lived experience and using intervention approaches characterised by co-design and co-production. However, the inclusion of some minority groups such as those who are Deafblind has proven challenging. Working from the perspective of Appreciative Inquiry, a qualitative research methodology called The World Café was used to generate patterns of insight and collective discoveries from Deafblind participants. Data from The Deafblind World Café were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Findings

Four themes were produced that could inform the development of a good practice model for engaging with people who are Deafblind: Being Deafblind – it’s who we are, not what we are; we welcome co-production with outsiders who are prepared to make the effort to become insiders; being culturally inclusive is about both what you say and what you do; and listen to our story – don’t try to count it.

Applications

Group-based and interactive approaches, such as World Café, though challenging, can be successfully adapted for those who are Deafblind. How this might be up-scaled is yet to be explored.