ABSTRACT
The ‘Hidden Voices’ project was designed as a small-scale exploratory qualitative research survey. The key objective was ‘to register the experience of young people with disabilities in second-level schools; so that it shapes developments in system policy and practice’ (Kenny et al., 2000). Particular attention was devoted to adopting research procedures that respected and validated the experiences of young people with disabilities (Atkinson and Williams, 1990; Beresford, 1997). The survey was conducted by means of semi-structured audio-taped group interviews with young disabled people. Potential participants were contacted via involved agencies, and sixteen young people agreed to participate. They were interviewed in three groups.
