Issues of gender, reflexivity and positionality in the field of disability : researching visual impairment in an Arab society

Abstract

This article examines how the social and cultural context influence the way in which field research methods are utilized. Research methods need to be modified to meet the sensibilities and sensitivities of particular social groups and settings. Through a reflexive analysis of a research study on the lives of visually impaired young people and adults in Bahrain, this article discusses how gender, religion and culture need to be taken account of. It also discusses how the research process needed to take account of the participants’ disabilities. It examines the issues of research access, informed consent, researcher’s dress, confidentiality, research location, and time. It highlights how the gender of the researcher was constraining in some gender segregated educational settings in a Muslim society. The article engages with the researcher’s positionality through reflexive discussion