Dolkar Peljor
Biography
Dolkar is a recent graduate of Trent University, where she successfully completed the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) program in political studies and business administration. Despite having physical and sensory disabilities due to Marfan syndrome, she has many accomplishments to be proud of in addition to overcoming barriers faced by persons with disabilities. Dolkar served as a director on Trent’s student union when elected as the Special Needs Issues Commissioner, participated in the summer experience program with the Ontario ministry of natural resources, and enjoys playing the piano. Currently, Dolkar is a Master of Public Administration candidate at Queen’s University.
Audio
Disability Research Through a Community-based Project: An Example of One DisAbled Student
Dolkar Peljor, Masters student, Queen’s University
Dolkar Peljor discussed a project she had conducted as an undergraduate student at Trent University in Peterborough. She explained that she had opted for a community-based project and had been partnered with a host organization, a Down Syndrome support group.
People with Down Syndrome graduate from high school at 21 with a modified diploma and little opportunity for participation in the community. Because of their disability, they require accommodations and community resources to reach their full potential.
The purpose of Peljor’s study was to determine the programming needs of young adults with Down Syndrome in the local community. Interviews were conducted with members of a Down Syndrome support group and with service providers for people with developmental disabilities. The findings, analysis, and recommendations were formulated in a report that was presented to the community organization.
In her research, Peljor found that young adults with Down Syndrome require support programs dedicated to increasing self-sufficiency and personal empowerment. They also require programs that are accessible—that is, affordable, accommodating, available, and considerate of transportation needs.
In her analysis, Peljor observed that the members of the Down Syndrome support group and the service providers shared the same goal in terms of the future for people with developmental disabilities: to increase their independence as much as possible, always recognizing the need for public support programs. Generally, programs meet a wide variety of needs and provide the appropriate accommodations while remaining affordable. But most existing programs are closed to new clients, and people are then wait-listed for indefinite periods. Program supports and services for young adults with developmental disabilities are lacking. Services are provided on an ad hoc, as-needed basis. There is a focus on transition planning, but transition programming to support young adults with developmental disabilities is lacking. Transportation is a significant accessibility issue, because service providers feel that the clients have the responsibility to transport themselves.
Like Paterson, Peljor said that she was aiming to emulate the emancipatory research paradigm: to prioritize people with disabilities and their concerns throughout the entire process with the aim of facilitating their empowerment, and to share her findings with other people with disabilities. This paradigm also seeks to influence policymakers to empower people with disabilities.
One of the constraints encountered in the research was the challenge of defining quality of life. To be able to evaluate the lives of people with Down Syndrome and those of non-disabled people, and to determine the programs needed to bridge the two, Peljor had to figure out “what life [is] supposed to be like for each group.” This is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed, she commented.
Finally, Peljor mentioned the empowering effects of undertaking disability research on students with disabilities: it was a great opportunity to get involved in the disability community and to learn about services and programs.
Peljor concluded that this project, which was undertaken through the Trent Centre for Community-based Education, was another avenue for expanding the scope of disability studies. Disability studies deserves greater credibility in the mainstream—especially the emancipatory research paradigm—and students require continued support to conduct these studies.
During the discussion, Peljor commented that more programs for young adults are needed, including informal social functions, employment programs, training, and life skills programs.
Participants then discussed how disability studies as a discipline is growing in Canada, Europe, and the United States. Hansen said that “everybody brings a richness, because we perceive differently, but because disability studies is a new area, it is moving and growing in new directions.” It must grow to reflect the richness.
Right now, said Peljor, no one area is ahead or behind. The best approach is to respect positions from which various people are coming. She did present one caveat, however: disability studies are “sexy” now and can be used to capture funds, but researchers must engage with the underlying “old school” mentality. “Having the language doesn’t mean that you are engaging a positive disability studies perspective.”
Chan suggested that disability studies reflects a growing trend across the globe. Noting that more and more undergraduate programs are emerging in this area, he said that it is important not to limit study to the graduate level.
Asked how students could encourage schools to embrace disability studies, Hansen replied, “Ask for it. Lobby for it.”
The speakers all emphasized that disability studies can emerge from all fields—business, education, psychology, medicine, and many others. At the same time, students can also enter disability studies to look at the more conventional matters such as physical access.
