The Research Process

Abstract

In the first three chapters I examined disability from a socio-political perspective and outlined how this perspective can advance our understanding of the lives of women with disabilities and motherhood. My approach is consistent with a paradigm shift that increasingly amplifies social, cultural, political, and economic determinants of disability (Gill, Kewman & Brannon, 2003). The shift toward an understanding of disability as a social phenomenon largely shaped by a host of contextual factors has significant implications for research. These implications span the entire research process: How research agendas are determined (Tate & Pledger, 2003); “who gets to ask the questions” (Olkin & Pledger, 2003) and control the process and product of the research (Oliver, 1992); and most importantly, what is the epistemology that undergirds the research.