Institutionalisation of Citizen Involvement in the Local Disability Councils

Andersen, Sebastian Munk ; Løken, Marie Louise ; Nielsen, Emilie Stenberdt

4. term

Techno-Anthropology, Master

2021

2021-06-04

118

Denne kandidatafhandling undersøger, hvordan borgere med handicap bliver repræsenteret og inddraget i spørgsmål om tilgængelighed gennem de lokale handicapråd. I disse råd udpeges borgere med handicap til at repræsentere andres interesser og erfaringer i samarbejde med kommunale repræsentanter om lokal handicappolitik. Vi fokuserer både på, hvordan repræsentanterne dækker et bredt spektrum af forskellige handicap, og på hvordan denne repræsentation påvirker kommunens beslutningsprocesser. Metodisk bygger undersøgelsen på kvalitative metoder: deltagende observationer (fire i alt) og 16 interviews. Til analysen bruger vi Callon m.fl.s begreb om hybride fora—mødesteder hvor borgere, brugere og fagfolk går i dialog om offentlige spørgsmål—og vurderer samarbejdet ud fra tre kriterier: åbenhed (hvem kan deltage og hvilke erfaringer får plads), intensitet (hvor dyb og vedvarende dialogen er) og kvalitet (om samtalen er oplyst og respektfuld). Vi finder, at handicaprådenes rolle er til forhandling: Rådene opfatter sig både som et kommunalt rådgivende organ og som et brugerråd. Med udgangspunkt i Callon-rammen peger vi på, at en tydeligere organisering som brugerråd kan åbne for at genindføre “forskning i det vilde”—viden udviklet i hverdagspraksis uden for de formelle institutioner—som i dag i højere grad er blevet trængt tilbage af rådets institutionalisering.

This master’s thesis examines how citizens with disabilities are represented and involved in accessibility issues through local disability councils. In these councils, citizens with disabilities are appointed to speak for the interests and experiences of others and collaborate with municipal representatives on local disability policies. We focus on how representatives cover a wide range of different disabilities and how this representation affects municipal decision-making. Methodologically, the study uses qualitative methods: participatory observations (four in total) and 16 interviews. For analysis, we draw on Callon and colleagues’ concept of hybrid forums—spaces where citizens, users, and professionals engage in dialogue about public issues—and assess the collaboration using three criteria: openness (who can participate and which experiences are heard), intensity (the depth and continuity of the dialogue), and quality (whether discussion is informed and respectful). We find that the role of local disability councils is contested and still being negotiated: the councils see themselves both as a municipal advisory body and as a user council. Within Callon’s framework, we argue that more clearly configuring the councils as user councils could reintroduce “research in the wild”—knowledge developed in everyday practice outside formal institutions—which has been reduced by the councils’ institutionalization.

[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]

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Andersen, Sebastian Munk:

• EMDrive Rapport (2016)