Stitching Together a PAR Project: “Work Active”—Supporting the Journey to Work for People With an Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Critically reflecting on research practice can be an uncomfortable process for any researcher as you expose actions, and decision-making, reflect on some of the research assumptions you may have fallen into, and acknowledge your limitations. Yet, engaging in reflexive practice keeps us in check and is particularly important for researchers exploring the experiences of marginalization and oppression. This article presents our reflections on “Work Active,” a participatory action research (PAR) project that sought to improve employment outcomes for people with intellectual disability (ID). Although a great deal of literature suggests that the underlying intent of PAR is emancipatory through the mainstays of collaboration, inclusivity, and participation; however, there remain questions about whether emancipation can be truly achieved. We present our experiences of “stitching together” our service provider-led PAR project to reveal some of the challenges, points of tension, and our adaptions as we navigated the “curve balls” of undertaking a PAR project.