Representation and knowledge exchange: A scoping review of photovoice and disability

Long-held misperceptions around disability continue to cause discrimination, stigmatization and harm. Effective, impactful research can challenge and change the status quo and influence decision-making. This scoping review seeks to understand how one arts-based research method, photovoice, interrogates issues in disability research. This article maps the current field of enquiry developing around disability photovoice research and examines two variables: representation and knowledge exchange. Thirty identified articles converged on the relevance to people with disability of community, accessibility, attitudinal change, adaption, economic empowerment and identity. Disseminating new knowledge generated through photovoice to a broader audience can have impact, especially on physical and attitudinal barriers. However, impact is rarely addressed in photovoice research. With its growing application in the disability field, photovoice research should monitor its influence on community and the environment to determine its benefit beyond the research setting.