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Paper short abstract

When creating a methodology accounting for autistic participants’ needs, beliefs regarding home and agency must be reconfigured. By combining artistic tools, hybrid ethnography, and agency, my approach rewrites how inclusive the field can be when curiosity becomes secondary to accessibility.

Paper long abstract

Fieldwork cornerstones like long-term participant observation, in-person conversations, and even verbal communication must be re-examined when centring accessibility. This consideration makes research not just possible, but rewarding for neurodiverse participants and researchers.

Using my methodological approach, I create a call for non-improvisational methods. Comfort and accessibility need to be placed above the long-held values of absolute flexibility and inherent adventure that is characteristic of anthropology. Thus, I put forward choice as the centre of methodological consideration, especially for neurodiverse researchers and when working with neurodiverse people.

Within the lived experiences of autistic individuals, opposing needs, preferences, and wants are present. To account for and respect this variety, I patchwork (Günel et al 2020) different methods such as written participation, photo-voice, map making, and visual explorations of emotions, as well as forms of engagement such as in-person or online focus groups or one-on-one written conversations. Through this approach, a tapestry is created in which participation can be tailor-made, shaped, and changed to fit each individual participant. This makes participation for neurodiverse and disabled interlocutors not only accessible but enriching. If we want to create inclusive, anti-ableist research, agency, and comfort of participants cannot be left to improvisational circumstances. It needs to be established through a mechanism of choice from the very beginning of creating a project.