Can You Hear Me Now? Youth With Intellectual Disabilities Vlog to Narrate Independent Selves

• In Event: Technology-Facilitated Youth Development

Abstract

Youth with intellectual disabilities (ID) often face challenges in narrating their own experiences. This study explores the use of social media, specifically vlogging, as a platform for self-expression and reflection among college students with ID. Participants were given iPads to record weekly vlogs, reflecting on their experiences as roommates of students without ID. Using textual analysis, four themes emerged: vlogs as diaries, self-exploration, self-praise, and fostering social connections. The findings reveal that vlogging enables youth with ID to present their sense of self normatively, both realistically and fictionally, akin to their peers without ID. This study sheds light on how social media can empower students with ID to shape their own narratives and be the narrators of their lives.

Authors

• Kagendo Mutua, University of Alabama

• Amy M. Williamson, University of Alabama