In the Sociology and Anthropology Department, the Senior Comprehensive Exercise, “Comps”, provides an opportunity for students to explore a topic and conduct their own research. Dedicated to using her project to engage with the local community, Rachel Gallagher designed a Comps project working with Laura Baker Services Association (LBSA). A longstanding community partner to the CCCE, LBSA is a Northfield organization that provides housing, educational and support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Rachel’s final project, titled “Hopes, Dreams but No Plans: Aging Parents of Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities,” is based on 14 interviews with parents of people living with IDD. The topic is a pilot study for Sociology Professor and Broom Scholar, Annette Nierobisz.
Tell us about your project – what inspired it, how did you work with LBSA?
I knew going into my comps that I wanted to do a project that could be relevant and impactful for the Northfield community. I’ve volunteered with LBSA since the beginning of my Carleton career and have always really looked up to the organization; working with LBSA staff and clients has been a very transformative experience for me over the past three years. So, I decided that I wanted to do something to try to give back to them. Annette was the one who inspired the actual idea for my comps. She encouraged me to do a pilot study for her future research on older parents of adults with special needs, and I jumped at the chance. LSBA allowed me to recruit participants through them, provided me with educational resources, and gave me general guidance on the topics that they wished I could address in my paper. I worked independently after starting the interview process.
What are the takeaways from the project – both for you and for LBSA?
For me, the biggest takeaway from my research was how incredible these parents are. Even as they enter old age themselves, they continue to dedicate their lives to their children. They advocate tirelessly on behalf of their kids despite having little help from outside resources. For LBSA, I think the project demonstrates the extent to which parents of adults with IDD need support from a place like LSBA. Parents in my study felt as though they aren’t being cared for by the state and federal government, so LBSA helps by: providing educational workshops on caring for an adult with IDD, offering as many respite opportunities as possible, and assisting parents as they are setting up housing, finances, and care for their kids as they get older.
How do you frame your research in terms of public scholarship?
I see my work as public scholarship in its essence. I conducted my research because I wanted to use sociology to create knowledge that could break out of the confines of Carleton and positively impact the Northfield community. I think that public sociology can be a really powerful tool in advocating for groups of people whose voices are often silenced, that is what I was trying to do with this comps. I hope that my interviewees look at this project and see themselves and their stories represented in it.
Another article about Rachel’s work with Laura Baker Services can be found here.