F. W. (Wietske) Verhagen

Profile

Since 2021, I have been working as a (junior) researcher at the University of Humanistic Studies, within the Department of Care Ethics. I have been involved in various research projects concerning people with profound intellectual disabilities and their relatives: Vulnerability and Strength in Families with a Care-Intensive Child (2021–2024) and Moving Forward Together after the Crisis (2024) — a study into what stories from the corona period reveal about collaboration and attunement in the care of people with profound and/or multiple disabilities. Since February 2025, I have been involved as a PhD candidate in the collaborative care-ethical research project Buitengewoon KennisMaken, which focuses on policy development aimed at future-profing complex care in care organizations for people with intellectual disabilities and challenging behaviour. Within these projects, my main interest lies in the collaboration between relatives and the various professionals in organizations for people with disabilities, and the tensions that emerge in this collaboration.