What is ResPoNCE?
It is an acronym which stands for Respecting Persons with disabilities’ Needs and rights in Crisis and Emergency.
We are a research team at the University of Galway. We are investigating the impact of Covid 19 on persons with disabilities in Ireland, UK, Spain, Italy, France, Germany and Sweden.
How did this start?
In 2020, we successfully applied for funding from the Health Research Board (HRB) as part of their Covid 19 Rapid Response Funding Opportunity.
The project started in January 2021 and will run for 2 years.
By clicking on the “about” menu, you can find out more about the project background, our perspective on health and the importance of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).
You can also get to know the research team and the kinds of questions we ask as part of our work.
How is it going?
We have published a draft working paper which includes recommendations for best practice re: persons with disabilities during public health crises.
We set up an advisory group of 16 disability experts from civil society organisations and academia. Members keep us informed of the Covid 19 situation in their countries. They also provide valuable contacts and materials. They help ensure that our research is as inclusive as possible.
We have completed Work Package 1. During this phase, we conducted 21 interviews with representatives from Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs), policymakers, researchers, health and social care professionals.
We also carried out extensive desk research across the 7 countries, compiling information from secondary sources, such as reports and articles.
We got a great response to our questionnaire, asking persons with disabilities in Ireland, UK and Spain to share their experience of the pandemic. We also completed a number of focus groups to speak directly with certain groups about their experience of Covid 19.
How can I take part?
As part of the our participatory research in Work Package 2, we will be hosting a number of focus groups for persons with disabilities in Ireland, UK and Spain to share their experiences of the pandemic with others in a similar situation. These include Deaf adults, adults with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities as well as children and teenagers.
Our closing conference will place on 4th May 2023. See our events page for more information.
You can follow us on Twitter @ResPoNCEProject for regular updates, or write an email to responceproject@universityofgalway.ie