Adjustments to and innovations in the implementation of qualitative research with people with disabilities: the case of Bangladesh

Empowerment of people with disabilities is an important aspect of commitment to human rights and inclusive development. However, the tasks of reaching out and engaging with people with disabilities and gathering and articulating sensitively the lived experiences of people with disabilities who encounter multiple challenges – physical, social, and cultural – is anything but easy. These challenges are particularly daunting in Bangladesh, where disability is also taboo and often seen as a social and economic burden. Based on a four-year research project with people with disabilities in Bangladesh, the article highlights the challenges of reaching out and the adjustments and innovations that have been applied through qualitative research. The researcher employed a probe-reach-out-learn-and-apply-as-you-go approach, which included extensive networking, extreme sensitivity, extensive attention to the issues of dignity and health of the interviewees, continuous attention and adjustments to interview conditions, and to the researcher’s own emotions and health challenges during and following the interview phases.