Project Profile

Towards a culturally sensitive disability studies:
Interconnections of disability studies in and across Malaysia and the UK

Principal Investigators:  Dan Goodley
And: Dr Rebecca Lawthorn

Kuching Team: Dr Ling How Kee, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Email: lhkee@fss.unimas.my
Website: http://www.fss.unimas.my/

Kuching Team: Mr. Dolly Paul Carlo, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak
Email: pcdolly@fss.unimas.my
Website: http://www.fss.unimas.my/

RIHSC Centre: Social Change and Well-being
Research Area: Critical Community and Disability Studies

Start day: August 2008
End day: August 2010

Total funding: £40,000
Funded by: PMI2 Project funded by the UK Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) for the benefit of the Malaysian Higher Education Sector and the UK Higher Education Sector. The views expressed are not necessarily those of DIUS, nor British Council

Overview

This proposed project brings together researchers from Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) to:

  • develop understandings of the barriers facing disabled people in and across the UK and Malaysia;
  • explore these different national perspectives on disability and to see how they can be applied in the other’s country;
  • develop our international perspectives through the sharing of theory, research findings, practice and policy in relation to the promotion of disabled people in mainstream society;
  • establish effective and sustainable partnerships that provide the foundation for future collaboration including submission of research bids between the UK and Malaysia.

We aim to implement research that responds to the needs and ambitions of disabled people in each of the two countries by working closely with disabled people and colleagues in the two countries; to explore and gain more knowledge of disability in each location; to apply and refine theories and models of disability developed in our own location to the conditions of the other; and, eventually, to synthesise our understandings to promote understandings that respond in and across the different contexts. Psychologists, sociologists and social workers are represented in th UK and Malaysian research teams and these different professional and disciplinary perspectives will help us to identify the pressing needs of disabled people. Crucially, we want to learn from one another so that we can develop theories, practices and policies that enable rather than disabled people, in ways that are appropriate to our own contexts.

Activities
UK and Malaysian colleagues will carry out research, deliver public lectures, direct workshops, and consult with disabled people and other colleagues in each other’s countries. Researchers and doctoral students will explore each other’s contexts, supported by senior academics, and throughout we will ensure that our findings are debated and explored across the teams. An aspect of these activities is to work alongside disabled people – particularly political organisations of disabled people – to ensure that the research is useful and applicable.

Anticipated outcomes 
In addition to this project developing real and sustainable research relationships across the two countries we will produce a number of outputs of use to disabled people, families, communities, professionals, policy makers and academics that will develop further our understandings of disabling and inclusive forms of society. These will include an end of project conference, web updates, submission of papers to academic, delivery of public and University lectures, seminars, workshops and practitioner documents, production of reports in English and Malay.

September 2008 Update (.doc)

Previous research encounters in Malaysia (Word Doc 39KB)

Project Plan:

UK team visits to Malaysia (March 2008 – August 2009)
Research management and supervision:
Senior staff, Goodley and Lawthom - 2 x 2 week trips (July 2008; July/Aug 2009)

Project area 1:
Two Doctoral students, Grech and Kellock – ‘development and disability analyses in Malaysia’ - 2 x 2 week trips (Aug 2008; Aug 2009).

Project area 2:
Postdoctoral research fellow, Chataika – Social model and postcolonial analyses of disability in Malaysia - 2 x 2 month trips (September/October 2008; August/ September 2009)

Malaysia team visits to UK (March 2008 – August 2009)
Research management and supervision:
Senior staff, Ling and Dolly – 2 x 2 week trips (September 2008, June 2009)

Project area 1:
Understanding disability policy, practice and
provision in the UK.
2 Team researchers: Yeo Swee Lan (United Voice, Kuala Lumpur) and Ng Kui Choo (PIBAKAT, Kuching) .

Project area 2:
Indigenous Malaysian analyses of disability in UK 2 x 2 month trips (Sept-Oct 2008; Jan-March 2009).
Dr Kenji Kuno (JICA)
Chan Kim Geok (Unimas)

For further details or information then contact the grant holders and project directors:

Dan Goodley,
Professor of Psychology and Disability Studies,
Manchester Metropolitan University,
RIHSC,
Psychology and Social Change,
Gaskell Campus,
Manchester, M13 0JA.

Tel: (+44) 0161 247 2526
Fax: (+44) 0161 247 6842
Email: Dan Goodley

Dr Rebecca Lawthom,
Principal Lecturer in Psychology,
Manchester Metropolitan University,
RIHSC,
Psychology and Social Change,
Gaskell Campus,
Manchester,
M13 0JA.

Tel: (+44) 0161 247 2526
Fax: (+44) 0161 247 6842
Email: Rebecca Lawthorn

Dr Ling How Kee,
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak,
Faculty of Social Sciences,
94300 Kota Samarahan,
Sarawak,
Malaysia.

Tel: (+60) 082 679117
Fax: (+60) 082 672305
Email: Dr Ling How Kee