Travel Bursary Report April 2024- Concepta Carty
Concepta Carty is a PhD candidate in the School of Social Work Social Policy.
It was a fantastic opportunity to attend the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD) Congress in Chicago in August. Iassidd are an international organisation, that promotes the scientific study of intellectual disabilities and related developmental disabilities and conditions of persons with these disabilities and their families (www.issaid.org).
I attended the Pre Congress workshops where I got the opportunity to engage interactively in highly informative sessions with many experts by both experience and profession in the area of inclusive research.
I attended an array of interesting presentations and discussion. I was honoured to have the opportunity to present at the congress on the engagement of children with intellectual disabilities in my PHD research.
The presentations I attended provided great learning on how to gather data in less formal ways and creating more enjoyable element to engaging in research for participants. I have developed a wider repertoire for inclusive research opportunities that will assist me as I continue my research journey, specifically in the design of the research and the presenting of the findings as this was an area I felt I needed to develop my knowledge and skills in.
I now have a deeper understanding and interactive options to have my preliminary findings presented firstly to participants for their input and validation. This not alone will give validation to my work and demonstrate the rigor I have achieved but will also give back to the generous participants giving them the opportunity to recognize themselves and the valuable contributors to research and leaning within the fields of disability.
I developed connections with very friendly experts and fellow researchers that I am confident will be of great support to me as I continue my research journey for potential collaborations and mentorships.
Thanks very much to Trinity Research in Social Sciences for part sponsoring my trip.