The CACTI Blog: The Importance of Centering the Lived Experiences of People with Disabilities Along the Arizona-Sonora Border
By Chloe Thompson, 2025-2026 DISCAPAZ VIP Research Program
DISCAPAZ: Disability Experiences in the Borderlands is a collaborative research project examining the lives of people with disabilities in the Arizona-Sonora border region. The project explores their lived experiences which are often underrepresented in both research and the broader community. The participants’ experiences were documented and analyzed through storytelling methods that involved scrapbooking sessions and digital storytelling workshops which were created collectively by the participants.
The research included eight participants: seven people living with disabilities and one supporter. Four main themes came out from the analysis. The themes being, empowerment, identity, connectivity and community, and advocacy. These themes show how the participants viewed themselves, relate to other people, interact within the system of support, and advocate for disability awareness.
The results show the value of using storytelling-based research methods in highlighting the voice of marginalized populations who are living in borderlands. Participants described positive experiences during the digital storytelling process, showing that these methods can help people share personal experiences in meaningful ways. Although there are some limitations of the study because of its small sample size and because it was focused on only one region, the results still provided important insight into disability experiences at both personal and community levels.
As a member of the DISCAPAZ research team, I gained new insights into the realities of living with a disability in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands region. The experience made me think about issues of place, language, and access and how they impact people living with a disability on the border. Collecting data by working directly with participants through oral history interviews and storytelling also showed me the importance of giving individuals flexible ways to express themselves.
In addition, this experience taught me that some parts of disability are often overlooked in traditional research methods. The experience also showed me the importance of qualitative data, and that it can offer a more in depth perspective into certain issues when compared to quantitative data.
As someone who’s trying to pursue a career in the medical field, I see myself using this new knowledge in the future because it helps strengthen my understanding of diverse patient populations and the social factors that influence health and medical care. It strengthened my appreciation for patient-centered care, communication, and listening to individuals’ lived experiences.
Learn more about how U of A students can join the research team at DISCAPAZ Vertically Integrated Project.
The CACTI Blog features the voices of our interdisciplinary trainees and Community Advisory Council members as they highlight diverse images of people with disabilities and provide community information and advocacy on disability issues. Check Out The CACTI Blog