Project description
In 2023, dr. Bettina van Hoven was awarded an NWO grant (SGW Open Competition M Social Sciences) for her project Everyday Geographies of Being and Becoming Disabled. Using a community-based participatory research approach, the project explores and analyses everyday experiences of being and becoming disabled.
The project focuses on:
- What are everyday, lived experiences of (social) encounter and interaction of persons with disabilities in urban spaces?
- To what extent do physical, socio-cultural, affective, economic and policy/ governance dimensions affect these everyday experiences?
- To what extent can inclusive spaces, places and practices be identified that may instigate new practices and perceptions by those frequenting such places (nondisabled and disabled)? What spaces and encounters can be enabling and conducive to ‘lived citizenship’?
- Which ‘lessons’ can be identified from involving community stakeholders multi-method community-based participatory research, how can these lessons best be communicated, and to what extent are these transferable?
The research team collaborates with 's Heeren Loo, an organisation that provides care and housing for people with acquired brain injuries, deafness with complex problems, and chronic neuromuscular diseases.
Alledaagse Geografieën van Gehandicapt Zijn en Worden
De stad heeft in potentie veel te bieden als een plek waar mensen zich thuis voelen en ervaring opdoen met
diverse aspecten van burgerschap. Toegankelijkheid, ontmoeting, interactie en mobiliteit spelen hierbij een belangrijke rol. Echter worden gehandicapten vaak effectief buitengesloten en gemarginaliseerd van stedelijke en openbare ruimtes. Door participatief onderzoek en co-creatie met sociale partners behandelt het project zowel een maatschappelijke vraag en levert een bijdrage aan wetenschappelijke discussie die de complexiteit rond het dagelijks leven van gehandicapten in een normatieve samenleving in een stedelijke ruimtes aanpakt.
Everyday Geographies of Being and Becoming Disabled
The city potentially has a lot to offer as a place where people feel at home and gain experience with various
aspects of citizenship. Accessibility, encounter and mobilities play an important role in this. However,
disabled people are often effectively excluded and marginalised from urban and public spaces. Through
community-based participatory research and co-creation with social partners, the project addresses both a societal question and contributes to scientific discussion that addresses the complexities surrounding the daily lives of disabled people in a normative society in urban spaces.