Paper short abstract:

In this paper we will discuss how our academic research on disability and international development in five African countries has benefited hugely from active collaboration with advocates, practitioners and policy makers in these areas, including most importantly people with disabilities themselves.

Paper long abstract:

Disability-centric production of knowledge is crucial yet often unacknowledged facet that warrants consideration within research partnerships on disability-inclusive development. In this paper, we will discuss how our ESRC-DFID funded academic research on disability and international development in five African countries has benefited hugely from active collaboration with advocates, practitioners and policy makers in these areas, including most importantly people with disabilities themselves. Building such partnerships is not solely good practice, but is particularly important when working on disability issues, as the clarion call of the disability movement, 'nothing about us without us,' attests. But this is not just a slogan as without the active and critical engagement of disabled people- as researchers, participants, advocates - the evidence gathered would not have the same impact. This paper will discuss experiences of research partners from work in Kenya, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. It will examine the challenges such partnerships can bring, who is speaking on behalf of who, and how the inclusion of people with disabilities can progress beyond tokenistic representation and empowerment.