Title: The co-production of disability-related policy in Wales
Research pathway: Empirical studies in law
Host institution: Cardiff University
My doctoral research examined what happens to narratives created by social movements when they are inserted into law and policy. I focused on independent living – a concept created by the disabled people’s movement as a means of resisting dominant social narratives that construct disabled people as dependent and deficient ‘others’. I undertook an analysis of documents from the disabled people’s movement to establish the content of independent living as it was developed by disabled activists. I then examined how independent living was constructed in policy and legal texts relating to disability and adult social care in Wales and explored the implications of these constructions for disabled people. The findings of the thesis have implications for disabled activists in the UK and beyond, and for others seeking to insert grassroots narratives into policy and legislation. There are also points of interest for other actors seeking to co-produce public sector policy and delivery structures.
I will use the Fellowship to disseminate the findings of my thesis among both academic and non-academic audiences. Activities will include the publication of articles in peer reviewed journals, a symposium bringing together academics, disabled people’s organisations and policy makers to examine the challenges and opportunities of the co-production of policy, presentations at conferences and non-academic events, and desk-based research to scope the next stage of my work.
E-mail: TarrantAE2@cardiff.ac.uk
Twitter: @alisontarrant3