Young people with an intellectual disability (ID) generally have poorer opportunities to participate in society and to influence their own lives than other youth. The possibility to participate and have influence in social life is a fundamental human right.
Previous studies have measured factors such as e.g., how young people with ID manage to achieve goals in terms of participation in e.g. daily activities, problem solving and self-efficacy. Further research is needed to, through co-creation, find ways to investigate and supplement how participation can be made possible for young people with ID.
The purpose of this study was to investigate how participation and influence for young people with ID can be enhanced using the participatory visual method photovoice.
Participants were six students with severe to middle severe ID in a special high school in a municipality in northern Sweden and four of their teachers and resource personnel. The students participated in three photovoice workshops by taking and discussing photos. A focus group with school staff were conducted about their experiences of photovoice to enable student’s participation. Collected data were analyzed with content analysis.
The preliminary results show that participation and influence can be enabled for participants through photovoice if it is adapted to their cognitive skills and includes careful preparation and adaptations. The process of using photographs turned out to be significant. Photovoice might be used together with youth with ID as co-creators, but more preparation, repetition and time is needed than when photovoice is used with others.