Courage and hope : Towards an evolving paradigm of inclusive and transformational dis/ability research

It has been argued by researchers in the field of dis/ability research that it is not possible for participatory research to be both inclusive and transformational, let alone emancipatory. In this paper I challenge that notion, and posit that in order for such research to be emancipatory, researchers and theoreticians in the field must develop new and eclectic ways of framing the problem, so that rather than losing hope and courage in our desires to be inclusive, our work is truly transformational. This paper addresses constructions of difference, drawing on a wide range of perspectives and theories, including Foucault's heteropia, Mestizaje and Borderland Theory (Anzaldua, 1987; Pallotta-Chiarolli and Lubowitz, 2003), Pagtatanong-tatong (Pe-Pua, 1989), Probin's (1996) work on "outside belonging" Freire's (1994) work on a pedagogy of hope, and the more recent work of Zournazi (2002) on hope as a new philosophy for change. Through this diversity of perspectives, I works towards presenting a new paradigm that, while applying specifically to dis/ability research, may be generalised to wider contexts of diversity, difference and culture. It is my intention to propose such a model, drawing on post-structuralist notions and critical theory within a post-modern milieu, and argue that participatory research with people with dis/ability as co-researchers may be both inclusive and emancipatory, rather than transformational research having the potential to be disempowering. I will contend that as researchers, we need to maintain hope, and indeed courage (Walkerdine, 2003) in our persistence to develop research paradigms and theories that have the potential to be emancipatory