Moving Beyond “Inclusion” and Towards “Transformation”
Intersectional Life Story Narrative Research on Aging and Neurodiversity
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 17814724 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Shari Brotman (0000-0003-4642-8304, McGill University, corresponding author), Laura Pacheco (0000-0002-0344-4091, Memorial), Marie-Hélène Deshaies (0000-0002-7211-4037, Université Laval), Aglaé Mastrostefano (McGill University), Camille Demers (Université du Québec à Montréal) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-29 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Review of Qualitative Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1940-8447 • E-ISSN: 1940-8455 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/19408447261416926 |
| OpenAlex | W7126099603 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 61 |
“Inclusive” research has long been championed by scholars and activists in the fields of critical disability and critical gerontology. Despite this, there remain gaps in knowledge, with a notable paucity of research on the intersection of old age and neurodiversity. Debates persist regarding what counts as “inclusive” and how to assess the catalytic and transformative potential of “inclusive” research beyond the level of rhetoric, particularly in the context of interviewing people with experiences of intense social exclusion. Studies on aging with neurodiversity remain influenced by biomedical discourses insofar as the focus on “comorbidity” often overshadows the exploration of sociopolitical factors. The ways in which this research creates conditions of hyper/visibility (reduction of people to their “pathology” as patients or clients) and in/visibility (disregard for their voices, strengths, and agency) are cause for great concern. Our paper asks 3 related questions: (1) What counts as “inclusive” research on aging with neurodiversity? (2) Is it possible to move towards “transformation” in the operationalization of such research? (3) How do we do it? Using our research by way of illustrative example, we hope to create a dialogue with the reader about the possibilities and pitfalls of “inclusive” intersectional research praxis
Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Operationalization · Qualitative research · Reflexivity · Social research · Transformative learning · Aging and Gerontology Research · Disability Rights and Representation · Participatory Visual Research Methods
Relational Autonomy
Challenging perspectives
Assessing Rural Care Ecosystems for Individuals With Neurodiversity
A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis
Annual Research Review
Our Own Master Race
Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis
I’ve always been the one who drops everything”
Canadian Disability Policies in a World of Inequalities
Discourses of Inclusion
The role of mandates/philosophies in shaping interactions between disabled people and their support providers
Creating and sustaining disadvantage
Putting ourselves on the line
Understanding the experiences of racialized older people through an intersectional life course perspective
Reflections on Reflexivity and Critical Reflection as Critical Research Practices
Clientilism and Clientification
Using photovoice to increase social inclusion of people with disabilities
Mapping the Margins
A Haunting Legacy
Reciprocity
Ten Principles of Disability Justice
The devolution of eugenic practices
Disability Expertise and Large Language Models
Photo-Elicitation with Autodriving in Research with Individuals with Mild to Moderate Alzheimer's Disease
The continuum of rapport
Situating the life story narratives of aging immigrants within a structural context
Anonymising interview data
Doing Academia Differently
"Reclaiming" Disability in Critical Qualitative Research
Does This Mean You're Not Going to Come Visit Me Anymore
The Complexity of Intersectionality
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |