Towards a paramethodology: exploring equitable methods for interviewing participants with alternative communication requirements about their experiences of air travel

Abstract

Despite being an established methodological approach for gaining in-depth data directly from consenting participants, conventional interview approaches, which rely on spoken interactions between researchers and interviewees, are not always appropriate for people with alternative communication requirements. The aim of this paper is to report on how semi-structured interviews were purposefully adapted to ensure that participants living with cerebral palsy, who primarily communicate through alternative, including non-verbal, means, were able to contribute their lived experiences of flying to a wider research project exploring accessible aviation. In so doing, the paper proposes a paramethodological approach to transport research in which interviewees ‘come alongside’ researchers to create more flexible, equitable and accessible methods and methodologies to ensure the experiences and expertise of all groups, including those often marginalised from mainstream transport research, are included.