Exploring the potential challenges and benefits of multi-media self-advocacy tools for young people aged 16 -25 with cerebral palsy.

This action research study aimed to improve practice by identifying the barriers of using multimedia self-advocacy tools with young people with Cerebral Palsy, and developing strategies to overcome these challenges. A literature review highlighted the limited evidence in the area of self-advocacy for young people with Cerebral Palsy, as well as demonstrating the benefits of emancipatory qualitative methodologies. The planning of the research was person-centred, and carried out with immense thought towards the Children and Families Act (2014), and other relevant codes of practice. Three young people with Cerebral Palsy were recruited in a special educational setting. The action research cycle, in conjunction with a measurement of active participation known as the ladder of participation, were utilised to provide a framework for a collaborative working partnership between researcher, facilitator and participant. Thematic analysis was employed to treat the subsequent data. The results demonstrate that multimedia self-advocacy tools can be beneficial for young people with Cerebral Palsy, and establishes adaptations that successfully increased participation. These findings have the potential to inform the researcher’s own professional practice and that of the wider EP community; the strategies implemented by institutions; and policy, including legislation, at a national level.