Coordinated effort: (Re)imagining a world for individuals with dyspraxia/DCD

This interpretivist arts-based narrative inquiry (ABNI) explores the lived social and educational experiences of “experts by experience” (Shakespeare, 2022), a diverse body of adults, individuals 18 and older living with dyspraxia, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), or other coordination disorders. It focuses on their intersectional experiences within broader social, cultural, and ableist contexts, particularly their stories and perceptions of schools and learning environments. The study presents the analysis of accessible public narratives alongside semi-structured dialogue sessions with six participants - five from the United States and one from the United Kingdom -, four of whom engaged in collaborative collaging alongside the researcher for meaning making. Using narrative inquiry (Clandinin & Connelly, 2006) and nonfiction comics (Galman, 2021), the study presents participants’ stories and experiences. It integrates multiple analytical methods, Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA), Pursuing Members’ Meaning (PMM), and Thematic Analysis (TA), informed by the social-relational and political/relational models of disability and intersectionality. Key findings reveal a persistent lack of dyspraxia/DCD awareness, systemic educational shortcomings, and the critical role of intersectionality in shaping experiences. Narrators highlight their adaptability, resilience, and reframing of deficit-based narratives to view dyspraxia/DCD as a source of strength. This study contributes to qualitative and educational literature by offering a unique arts-based methodology of collaborative collaging and storying experience that expands understanding and amplifies voices of individuals with dyspraxia, developmental coordination disorder (DCD), or other coordination disorders, particularly U.S. adults, through an intersectional lens that considers race, socio-economic status, and cultural background.