How to include school professionals in participatory research on self advocacy with students with disabilities? A scoping review

Abstract

For several years, participatory action research in education has been giving families a voice with the aim of creating mechanisms for social transformation (Turnbull et al., 1998). While these processes aim to empower families and their children, they cannot be implemented in schools without other actors in the education system providing a supportive environment in which their voices can be taken into consideration (Hart & Brehm, 2013, Numans et al., 2019). In the canton of Vaud, in French-speaking Switzerland, the inclusive school agenda has been gradually rolling out since 2019 based on the 360° concept. The 360° concept places students with disabilities at the center of the school inclusion project. This relatively new policy invites students to have a greater say in identifying what they need and in participating in the decisions that concern them. This means, the policy enables students to become self-advocates (Test et al., 2005). In this study, we are interested in the development of this entitlement to act in participatory research with young primary school students. However, a question emerges: if, in the case of participatory research, it is indeed the group (i.e., students and their families) concerned that is at the origin of the research, how can we ensure their power to act will be effectively operationalized in the school context when teachers are not included, or are not willing to participate in the research study? Consequently, in this poster, we propose to review the literature in the fields of education and health, using the scoping review methodology to identify: the methodological aspects that favor multi-stakeholder participation, and the ethical aspects related to the diversity of stakeholders 'values. Based on this literature review, we will propose certain avenues for participatory research aimed at transforming the school environment.