Decolonizing Disability: Indigenous Māori Perspectives of Disability Research in the Modern Era

Qualitative research methods show promise in building shared understanding of Indigenous experiences of disability and have the potential to address the power imbalances inherent in Western epistemologies methodologies, particularly (but not exclusively) when it comes to quantitative research. This chapter explores indigenous Māori research epistemologies and methodologies for disability research in Aotearoa New Zealand. In particular, we highlight the methodologies of pūrākau (storytelling) and wānanga (workshopping) which serve as examples in the richness of Māori-centered understandings that both give prominence to and make sense of Māori experiences. We structure our discourse throughout the chapter within this narrative framework as an exemplar. The chapter also provides indigenous perspectives from a Global South to identify the critical importance of understanding the ways in which colonization, coloniality, ableism, and racism have intersected in the lived experiences of indigenous disabled tāngata whaikaha Māori/whānau hauā.