Beyond the Chair

I have a very severe disability: I use a wheelchair full-time, have very limited use of my hands, and some people find it difficult to understand me when I speak.

This book is about how I achieved my PhD, the highest qualification a person can earn. My research took place at a special school, where I formed advocacy sessions with the young people there. In these sessions, we discussed their hopes and plans for life after school. I also shared my own experience transitioning from special education to mainstream schooling, as many of them had disabilities similar to mine.

One of the main challenges in my research was the way I gathered data. Traditional one-on-one interviews were impossible because I relied on my personal assistant to interpret my speech, while each young person often required their own interpreter. As a result, we had to explore alternative methods for collecting information.

Because I am unable to use pen and paper, observations were also challenging. My personal assistant took notes for me while we were at the school, and I would type them up on my computer when I got home.

Paul Doyle has very severe disabilities. He went to two special schools. He learnt all the basics at his first school and he did quite well, having lots of friends. The teachers at his second school did not think that he could learn. He came out of school with no qualifications whatsoever. He was the first student to go to a mainstream college who had to have a one-to-one personal assistant. After obtaining five GCSE, he gained ‘A’ Levels in Psychology and Sociology. He has a B.Sc. and an M.Sc. in Psychology. Now he has a Ph.D. For his fieldwork he did advocacy with young people with very similar disabilities to himself. Paul talked to young people about his own experiences of the trying transition from special education to mainstream education.