Lived Experience of Disability Equality Training Facilitators: Narratives of Disabled People From Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Abstract

This study explores the lived experiences of becoming and continuing as facilitators of Disability Equality Training (DET). This study was conducted in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, one of the countries where DET has been strategically implemented. Nine facilitators were selected by purposive sampling for semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis was applied to the narrative data for exploring themes with consideration to chronological sequence, namely, before, during, and after DET training of facilitators (DET–TOF). The narratives indicated that DET facilitators had varied personal backgrounds, including experiences of discrimination. Their stories also indicated that some interviewees not only obtained views on the social model of disability and facilitation skills but also reframed their past life experiences both during and after the DET–TOF. While this study considers the potential criticism of the social model, which is the foundation of the DET, these findings can provide helpful insights for future agents of change who engage in a society.