People with ‘invisible’ diseases (e.g. Infertility, Endometriosis, Cystic Fibrosis, Chronic Kidney Disease, ME, depression) may find it especially difficult to explain their experiences to others. DrawingOut Invisible Diseases uses step-by-step metaphor-based drawing exercises to help people express and share their thoughts and feelings about their condition.
The DrawingOut method is the result of collaboration between Dr Sofia Gameiro and Dr Lisa El Refaie and was first used in two workshops:
- With Black and Minority Ethnic women suffering from infertility in Cardiff (together with Berit Bliesmann, University of Aberystwyth University, funded by Welsh Crucible). Drawing helped the participants to overcome language and cultural barriers, and to facilitate the expression of sometimes very emotional, taboo views.
- With endometriosis patients in Wales, as part of a consultation exercise for the Welsh government to discover how sufferers experienced their symptoms and the treatment provided by the NHS.
Alongside the words and pictures created, researchers at Cardiff University have helped to identify the common themes expressed and we are delighted now to share the results. Our DrawingOut Long-Term Health Issues in Wales report and booklet can be viewed here:
Experiences of Living with Long-term Health Issues in Wales
This booklet has been developed as part of the DrawingOut Long-Term Health Issues in Wales project.
DrawingOut Long-Term Health Issues in Wales
The report and booklet are being shared with policymakers and healthcare providers to raise awareness of some of the challenges – and solutions – shared by women and people registered female at birth living with long-term health issues in Wales. We look forward to seeing them making a positive difference to people’s experiences and lives.
If you need a printed version of either the report or booklet for accessibility purposes, or you have any other queries about the project, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
If you would like to know more about the DrawingOut metholodolgy, please visit www.drawingout.uk.
We’d like to extend our thanks to Rosa UK and the National Lottery, for their support in funding this project, enabling our members to use their collective voice to achieve change.
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