Involving people with lived experience in physiotherapy education – Research report three: Developing equal partnerships

The nature of relationships between educators and people with lived experiences is well documented in literature which explores the involvement of people with lived experience in health and social care education. Issues of power, control and influence and the nature of equal and meaningful partnerships are often explored. Arnstein’s (1969) ladder of involvement and Tew et al. (2004) ladder of involvement framework, for example, seek to differentiate between different types and levels of involvement with meaningful involvement only being achieved when power is delegated. This report explores the power differences between the person with lived experience and the academic.