Natalie Seed (Fairbridge Centre for Social Innovation) In recent times there has been a seismic shift in the way individuals living with a disability are supported in the community. This has altered the way services are structured and delivered, as well as how disability is perceived. Consequently evaluators have also begun to reconsider the ways they engage with and represent disability. Traditionally individuals who live with disability have been under-represented as evaluation participants as common or standardised data collection methods are often not suitable for these populations. In turn, even when evaluations consider services that have a direct impact on their lives, most disabled individuals are left without a voice to express their experiences and opinions. This begs the following question:
- How can we provide a valid and reliable evaluation of a program or service if the individuals who access it and whose lives are affected by it are not included?
Participatory methods have become popular in disability services evaluations as they allow a greater range of individuals to participate in the data collection process. One of these methods is Photovoice. This paper will focus on the use of Photovoice as the primary data collection method in an evaluation of a Western Australian respite program for families living with a disabled child. It will focus particularly on the application of this method among disabled children and adults (including many who experienced communication impairments), describing the way the method was developed and adapted to their needs. It will also discuss the flexibility of this method and how input from participants can help shape its application. In doing so, the paper will also explore the tensions inherent in needing to collect empirically reliable evaluation data, but also needing to ensure the data collection process is contextually valid and responsive to participant needs.
