Speaker
Description
Lived Experience research is increasingly being used as a method to overcome blind spots that come from working in a singular discipline or paradigm. More recently Lived Experience is being used as a powerful tool for working with more marginalised groups to rebalance power dynamics and capture ‘hidden’ knowledge of what it is like to be from that community based on their experiences.
However if not done well, Lived Experience can be experienced as being tokenistic and power imbalances between the ‘professionals’ or ‘experts’ and marginalised groups further solidified, causing more harm. Therefore the framing of Lived Experience and its associated principles are critical for ensuring that good outcomes are achieved for all.
Despite the benefits of conducting Lived Experience research, there are many challenges to undertaking this type of work. This presentation will focus broadly on the concepts and principles of Lived Experience research (i.e. the benefits) and then use a Lived Experience case study of young children and their families from diverse neighbourhoods in Melbourne, Australia. The case study will demonstrate some of the structural and situational challenges faced when undertaking this type of work. Reflections and learnings will also be discussed.
