Shadowing a Person with Disability: Applicability of Shadowing to Collect Data in Qualitative Research

ABSTRACT:

This paper focuses on the application of the technique Shadowing in a research on accessibility in a Brazilian higher education institution. In Brazil, this technique is still little known, little applied and disseminated despite its relevance for allocating the 'shadow researcher' within the participant's daily routine. In this paper we present the application of the technique Shadowing during an academic day of a blind university student. Results show that Shadowing (a) places the researcher within the participant's real life experiences, hence approximating researchers without disabilities to the reality experienced by persons with disabilities; (b) it clarifies and broadens the concept of accessibility in practice as it allows interlacing official discourse or inclusion policies and what really happens in the environment, that is, the person with disability's voice stands out because he/she indicates what is or what is not accessible; (c) it 'throws' the researcher within micro-spaces, such as classroom and cafeteria, where power relations occur generating barriers for those with disabilities, and (d) it helps the identification of daily barriers and, therefore, contributes to the development of institutional policy that supports the reduction/elimination of obstacles in the university trajectory of students with disability. This paper concludes that Shadowing applied to the process of data collection and knowledge production with and on persons with disabilities contributes to the development of research methodology innovation in studies in the field of Special Education, School Inclusion, and Studies on Disability.

KEYWORDS:
Special Education; Shadowing; Higher Education