This guide explains the research practice of the Chronic Illness Inclusion Project (CIIP). We did research within our own community of disabled people living with energy limiting chronic illness (ELCI). We adapted the process to meet our needs and circumstances, as participants as well as researchers. The practice we developed was an extended online focus group.
The chronic illness community is invisible to society and to policy makers - the people who make decisions about our lives. The purpose of our research was to give our community a voice, by sharing and promoting our knowledge and experiences. The CIIP was part of a research programme called DRILL, which put disabled people in the lead of research about how to improve our lives.
