Life Stories of the Economic Recession: Biographical Narrative Interpretative Method (BNIM) and the Lived Experience of Disability in Times of Austerity

Abstract

In 2008, Ireland was impacted by global economic recession. Recession in Ireland was exceptionally severe and contrasted starkly to extraordinary prosperity immediately before. A comprehensive field of statistical data has since emerged indicating that children were particularly socioeconomically impacted. Within this, children with disability and their families were shown to have been at heightened risk. This paper presents research findings of a Biographical Narrative Interpretative Method that addressed the lack of qualitative research on the lived experience of disability in Ireland during recession. It presents three life stories of a young person with intellectual disability, his mother, and a social worker in their affiliated disability service. A theoretical reading of the cases through an affirmative non-tragedy lens and then from within an overarching critical disability studies perspective follows. Among the conclusions is that better measures to safeguard the lived experience of disability in future capitalist crises are obligatory.

Measuring parenting capacity for disabled children using a child protection assessment

“…Here, responsibility of the highest order is often undermined by the immense complexity of presenting disability support needs. Chronic, fluctuating and co-morbid medical conditions with onerous treatment plans and medication administration schedules, challenging and self-injurious behaviours, and commitments to a constellation of health and social care professional inputs such as physiotherapy homework programs, compounded by societal discrimination and exclusion, are among potential influences that complicate the parenting task and that must be accounted for (Crowley, 2016;Flynn, 2019a). Furthermore, unique risk factors augment the existing stockpile of problems for these families, and as such, capable caregivers are vulnerable to buckling under the strain.…”

“…Overall, literature alludes to potentially enhanced stress and risk in parenting a disabled child (Cousino & Hazen, 2013). This may be linked to complex needs, where higher dependency on caregiver and social support infrastructures (Browne & Miller, 2013), without adequate respite care and support, drives dedicated parents to their wits end (Flynn, 2019a).…”

Exploring Ethical Dimensions Associated with ‘Pushing for PINs’ and Probing: A Critical Commentary on Key Features of the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM) with ‘Vulnerable’ and Other Populations

“…Despite this corpus of research, and BNIM's potential to generate narrations of exceptional depth, we argue that there are insufficient critical analyses of the ethical dimensions of BNIM. In this paper, we focus chiefly on Wengraf's work as the foremost BNIM methodologist, much discussed in recent literature (Flynn, 2019;Mooney, 2021). 1 Whilst some BNIM proponents argue that participants experience catharsis during PINs (Wengraf, 2011) or that therapeutic benefits could be a 'side product' of biographical narrative interviews (Vajda, 2007), we assert the experience could also be harmful, particularly for those who previously experienced intense emotional distress, linked to physical/ mental illnesses, abuse, loss and grief.…”

“…Much BNIM literature refers to general ethical safeguards to minimise emotional distress, such as counselling services for participants and research advisory committees comprised of multiple ‘stakeholders’ (Flynn, 2019; Mooney, 2021). The potential emotional distress that could be triggered by ‘pushing’ for narratives due to the ‘pressured’ emphasis on re-experiencing past events, which could affect both interviewees and interviewers, during or after interviews, has largely remained unacknowledged and un-discussed.…”

“…Despite this corpus of research, and BNIM’s potential to generate narrations of exceptional depth, we argue that there are insufficient critical analyses of the ethical dimensions of BNIM. In this paper, we focus chiefly on Wengraf’s work as the foremost BNIM methodologist, much discussed in recent literature (Flynn, 2019; Mooney, 2021). 1…”