Oral History Beyond Speech and Narrative: What Intellectual and Developmental Disability Can Teach Us
Abstrak
ABSTRACT This article challenges the conventional boundaries of oral history by exploring communication beyond speech and narrative, particularly in the context of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The prevailing oral history practice, reliant on speech, inherently excludes individuals who communicate nonverbally. Drawing on over a decade of practice, disability scholarship, and the author’s personal experiences, this work argues for a more inclusive approach to oral history. It examines alternative forms of communication; such as embodied movements, gestures, and other nonverbal expressions, positioning the body as both language and archive. By focusing on the experiences of people with IDD, the article critiques ableist constraints and reimagines oral history as a practice of “being with” rather than “listening for” stories. Through a case study of arts-based collaborations facilitated by the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, the author demonstrates how IDD individuals’ expressions—often overlooked—are crucial for expanding the field’s scope. While procedural and process-based modifications can make oral history more inclusive as a speech- and narrative-centered practice, the author argues for reimagining oral history in form as something new, beyond speech and narrative.
Penulis (1)
Nicki Pombier
Akses Cepat
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Cek di sumber asli →- Tahun Terbit
- 2025
- Bahasa
- en
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- Sumber Database
- Semantic Scholar
- DOI
- 10.1080/00940798.2025.2468520
- Akses
- Open Access ✓