Following Through to the End: The Use of Inclusive Strategies to Analyse and Interpret Data in Participatory Action Research with Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

Background Scholars have called for research approaches that actively include and are driven by people with intellectual disabilities, but the process of inclusive data analysis has been scarcely documented in the literature. This paper demonstrates the process university researchers and a group of self-advocates used to analyse and interpret data collected during a participatory action research (PAR) project to increase the group’s capacity for self-advocacy. Materials and Methods University researchers presented numerical data in three visual formats for analysis. Seventeen People First members analysed and interpreted the data using a modified focus group approach. Results All members participated in data analysis, but not all members participated in data interpretation. Members’ interpretations suggest that the group felt an increased sense of empowerment and heightened awareness as a result of their increased capacity to run a meeting and involvement in the PAR cycle of action and reflection. Conclusions Findings suggest that strategies such as visual representation of data, group analysis, and familiarity with data collection tools foster an inclusive process of analysis and interpretation.