Week 3

I have started on a little of my research for my fieldwork. I have not interviewed anyone yet, nor have I definitely decided on the people I will choose to interview. One person I intend to interview is a classmate and fellow volunteer at the Special Olympics. She and I attend the same events and often go together. I intend on asking her about her observations and her take on how she views the same events that I see in a different way. I want to ask her why she began to volunteer and if she has always had an interest in exceptional communities.  I plan on asking her the negative things that she has noticed within the environment or the organization as a whole. I am still working on creating a list of questions to be sure to bring up in my interviews. 

I have already visited my cultural site in the past before I knew I was going to use it for my fieldsite. My general observations showed me that it was going to be a warm environment to do my research in. It is a community that relies on the kindness and goodness of the members and volunteers. Some questions have developed though visiting my fieldsite. One question would be to find the problems or aspects of the group that are not all "pretty, fluffy and good." I also wondered about my ability to interview the actual athletes, who seem to be the most in-depth members of my subculture.  I also wonder how the special athletes view athletes who are typically developing and participate in the Olympics.  I have not yet attempted to do any academic research. The major difference between academic research and non-academic research is that academic research has been published and peer-reviewed. Some examples of this may be in journals or online journals. Non-academic research can be my own personal research, observations, interviews, etc.