A collaborative group method of inclusive research

The development of a co-researcher training with and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

BACKGROUND

To build capacity among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become co-researchers they need the opportunity to learn about research.

METHOD

An inclusive research team developed an online training to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to serve as co-researchers. Seven participants were recruited as pilot trainees. The co-researcher training consisted of two 1-h training sessions. Pre- and post-surveys and a focus group were conducted to examine participant experiences with the co-researcher training.

RESULTS

The participants were actively engaged during the co-researcher training sessions and shared they had a positive experience with it. They expressed that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities add value to the research team because of their lived experiences.

CONCLUSION

The co-researcher training can instill a baseline level of knowledge about research in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and can be adjusted for different types of research in different settings and organisations.

LAY SUMMARY

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities would like to learn more about research. They would also like to learn more about how to do research. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities who work on research are called co-researchers. Two researchers and a co-researcher with disability wrote together about research for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Seven people with intellectual and developmental disabilities took part in the class. They answered questions about how they liked the class. They also gave their opinion about research. They learned about what research is and how to do research. The class can be changed so that it can be used by other organizations.

Usefulness of interactive video-based instruction on learning performance in relation to cognitive development of children with moderate intellectual disability

The usefulness of information and communication technology has been witnessed around the globe with the occurrence of rapid changes in the field of education i.e. through the formal or informal way. For this, the researchers have assessed Interactive video-based instruction (IVBI) on (N = 95; males = 47 & females = 48 age range between 12 and 15 years) moderate intellectual disability children in Guwahati, Assam, India from three day-care rehabilitation centres. The main objective was to examine the effect of IVBI intervention (IIVBI & CIVBI) on academic performance in association with the cognitive development of children with moderate intellectual disability in a comfortable setting within working hours. The findings conclude that children in the CIVBI group performed more actively as compared to IIVBI and comparison group, and it was due to the involvement of video-based instruction that helped understand the topic more precisely and acts effectively for CIVBI children in an experimental setting.

Inclusive Research and Intellectual Disabilities: Moving Forward on a Road Less Well-Travelled

In reflecting on the title of the special issue: Inclusive Research: A road less or more well-travelled, this paper reviews the strengths of inclusive research that have augmented the global knowledge about the lives of people with intellectual disabilities across the lifespan. The successes of inclusive research are outlined with the respective ongoing individual challenges discussed. Authors will draw upon their own experiences of inclusive research, together with the seminal and current literature, as well as the dialogue between them. The conclusions of the article are in the form of recommendations aimed at increasing the traffic on the road of inclusive research through: 1. expanding its purpose and parameters across all forms of disability research; 2. developing systems for sustaining inclusive research as a funded model; 3. creating capacity to enable people with intellectual disabilities to be employed as researchers directing research projects; and 4. establishing bridges and crossroads with policy and practice through its findings.

Pivotal care practices: Care ethics in inclusive arts-based research with people labelled/with intellectual disability during the COVID-19 pandemic

In this article, we aim to illustrate how inclusive research can be situated as a form of care work. We do this through addressing tensions and possibilities arising in an ongoing arts-based community-research project - DiStory, Then and Now. We discuss the design of the project along with critical, philosophical, and ethical foundations that drive decision-making and shifts in methodology in response to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. We argue that understanding inclusive research as care work is vital, particularly in pandemic times where complex socio-political contexts threaten the social survival of individuals and communities that have traditionally been excluded from knowledge creation projects. Our efforts to counter epistemic violence through practices of care are critically considered alongside tensions emerging in connection with physical contact restrictions combined with technology barriers experienced by many of our group members.

A Closer Look at the Quest for an Inclusive Research Project: ‘I Had No Experience with Scientific Research, and then the Ball of Cooperation Started Rolling’

The original adage of the movement of people with disabilities ‘Nothing about us without us’ is fortunately more and more adopted in the research world. There is, for example, increasing recognition of the importance and value of actively involving people with intellectual disabilities in research projects on topics that are relevant to them. In a current doctoral research project, a co-researcher with an intellectual disability was recruited to work together with the doctoral researcher. Now that this project is nearing completion, it is time to look at some aspects of their collaboration and see what we can learn from this process. In several (joint) meetings, the researchers reflected on their personal experiences with working and researching together. Our reflections are presented using three overarching themes: preparations for the collaboration, collaborating as a complex process, and conducting research together. The discussion focuses on what can be inferred from these personal experiences with regard to the following three topics: how inclusive research can be organised best, the possible benefits of the collaboration for the researchers involved, and the possible impact of the collaboration on the quality of the research.

Reflecting on the Value of Community Researchers in Criminal Justice Research Projects

While the importance of community researchers has long been acknowledged in disability studies, inclusive research practices such as these are less common in research about another marginalised group: people who are in prison or have spent time in prison. Over the past decade in Australia, the number and rate of people imprisoned has risen rapidly, and recidivism rates remain high, indicating a need for improved services. In this article, we draw on methodological reflections from two case studies on research with marginalised communities, one in disability studies and one in post-prison research. We apply insights from disability research to argue the importance of incorporating community researchers in qualitative research projects seeking to explore the experiences of people involved with the criminal justice system, such as people who have been released from prison.

Being an Inclusive Researcher in a National Consultation Exercise—A Case Study

This paper presents a case study of the Inclusive Research Network (IRN), an inclusive research group founded by the Centre for Disability Studies, contributing to a National Disability Research Agenda (NDRA) setting project. IRN members with ID carried out their own consultations with disability stakeholders. This paper sets out the experiences of the IRN members in facilitating focus groups as part of phase 2 of the NDRA project. As this project took place during the COVID-19 pandemic and state lockdowns, this paper also provides a reflection on new ways of carrying out research and provides an insight into the process for other groups seeking to engage in inclusive research of this nature in a challenging and changing environment. IRN members showed great interest in being involved in the project, and their motivations aligned with the project’s objectives. Facilitating the focus groups on Zoom took some preparation and posed accessibility challenges but enabled a more diverse group of people to attend. IRN members with ID improved their online facilitation skills and confidence but concluded that they preferred working face to face. IRN members overcame the challenges presented by online focus groups, and their involvement added value to the NDRA project. Researchers are encouraged to continue practicing inclusive research in times of remote working and virtual interaction and to share their experiences for mutual learning.

Effect of interactive video-based instruction on learning performance in relation to social skills of children with intellectual disability

Interactive video-based instruction (IVBI) session was organized in day-care rehabilitation settings to provide training in acquiring new skills related to social skills development for targeted moderate intellectual disability (MID) population. The main objective is to inter-relate the effect of individual and collaborative interactive video-based instruction on social skills development for experimental group children with those in the comparison group. A quasi-experimental design was conducted on (n = 99, comprising 56 males and 43 females) students with MID from selected three rehabilitation centres of Guwahati, Assam, India. The mean and standard deviation of individual interactive video-based instruction (IIVBI) and collaborative interactive video-based instruction (CIVBI) was better than the conventional group. The ANCOVA result shows a significant effect of IIVBI and CIVBI in the improvement of social skills over conventional approach on students after controlling the effect of the pre-test. The interactive session in both the experimental group allowed the students to create their own space for learning social skills via different activities using IVBI. The researchers concludes that regular practice of various activities through video sessions can help children with intellectual disability to overcome minor obstacles by themselves without any additional service.

How people with intellectual and developmental disabilities on collaborative research teams use technology: A rapid scoping review

BACKGROUND

We conducted a rapid scoping review to identify how inclusive research teams use technology during the research process that could support remote collaboration during public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHOD

We searched three databases and conducted a hand search. Two independent reviewers screened 1498 abstracts and titles for inclusion criteria; 81 full text articles were further reviewed; 47 were included. We extracted information about each type of technology, categorised technology used during the research process, and documented described accommodations.

RESULTS

We identified 47 articles and 94 examples of technologies used by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities throughout the research process: team formation and team function (38), data collection (19), data analysis (17) and dissemination (20).

CONCLUSIONS

Technology use by team members with intellectual and developmental disabilities demonstrates promise for remote research collaborations during public health and climate emergencies and teams with members living in diverse locations.

Belonging and reciprocity amongst people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic methodological review

BACKGROUND

Social inclusion has been explored using a wide range of theories and methods. Belonging and reciprocity have been identified as key components of social inclusion. This systematic methodological review identifies and evaluates the theoretical frameworks and qualitative approaches adopted to explore belonging and reciprocity in the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities.

METHOD

A systematic search was conducted across ten databases. Screening and quality appraisal were carried out independently by two researchers, and data were extracted to provide detailed accounts of the theories and methods employed.

RESULTS

Seventeen papers met inclusion criteria. Clear conceptualisations of belonging and reciprocity were lacking, and these concepts were rarely the focus of the research. Theoretical and methodological shortcomings across this literature were identified and discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

More nuanced conceptualisations of belonging and reciprocity may be helpful in future research, to better capture the context and meaning of individual lives and relationships.

Inclusive approaches to developing content valid patient-reported outcome measure response scales for youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities

BACKGROUND

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are increasingly used in health care to evaluate service quality and client progress. Response scales are a critical component of PROM content validity and must be designed to be relevant and comprehensible by users.

METHODS

In collaboration with eight youth co-researchers with intellectual/developmental disabilities ages 14-21, we used an iterative, three-stage approach to develop and select a response scale for the PEDI-PRO. Stages: 1) inclusive development of response scale options; 2) Collecting data about response scale options during focus groups with youth with intellectual/ developmental disabilities (n = 62); and 3) Analysing data to refine response options.

RESULTS

Through two cycles of the three-stage process, the inclusive research approach led to the development of a content valid response scale that describes functional performance of everyday activities ("very easy," "a little easy," "a little hard").

CONCLUSION

An inclusive research approach can support the development of content valid PROM scales. We identified four broad strategies that supported youth co-researchers to engage in this response scale development process: universal design for learning, use of lived experiences, breaking down tasks, and peer support. Researchers may adopt and/or adapt the accessible inclusive research approaches described in this manuscript for measurement development and other research projects.

Building a research team and selecting a research topic within the process of an inclusive research project in Spain

BACKGROUND

In this paper, we illustrate the extent to which building an inclusive research team and the selection of a research topic, based on a collaborative group approach, constitute key elements of inclusive research.

METHOD

The selection and analysis of activities and methodological strategies, extracted from the recordings of the research meetings, offer clues about the creation of collaborative and deliberative research spaces.

RESULTS

Some of the elements that reaffirm the inclusive nature of this research are as follows: contributions by all members of the research team receive equal recognition, the particular interests of all of those involved are taken into account and research strategies that are supported in different languages encourage the participation of all researchers.

CONCLUSIONS

We need to review our practices in order to identify the added value of this type of work and move towards research training proposals that promote the research ownership of people with intellectual disabilities.

Lessons learned from participatory research to enhance client participation in long-term care research: a multiple case study

BACKGROUND

Although participatory research is known to have advantages, it is unclear how participatory research can best be performed. This study aims to report on lessons learned in collaboration with service users involved as co-researchers in three participatory teams in long-term care.

METHODS

A multiple case study design was chosen to explore the collaboration in three teams, each covering one specific client group receiving long-term care: physically or mentally frail elderly people, people with mental health problems or people with intellectual disabilities.

RESULTS

A good working environment and a good collaboration were found to be crucial requirements for participatory research. A good working environment was developed by discussing reasons for engagement and wishes, formulating basic rules, organizing training sessions, offering financial appreciation, and the availability of the researcher to give travel support. The actual collaboration was established by developing a bond and equal positioning, deciding on the role division, holding on to transparency and a clear structure, and have sufficient time for the collaboration. Moreover, the motivations and unique contributions of the co-researchers and differences between the teams were reported. The motivations of co-researchers ranged from individual goals - such as personal development, creating a new social identity and belonging to a social group - to more external goals, such as being valuable for other service users and increasing the quality of care. An inclusive collaboration required valuing the individual contributions of co-researchers and adjustment to team differences.

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed the importance of developing a good working environment and establishing a good collaboration for participatory research. Furthermore, the study shows that individual and team differences should be taken into account. These results can be used by researchers for designing and shaping future research projects in long-term care in collaboration with co-researchers.

Strategies to Promote the Inclusion of Young Adults With Developmental Disabilities in Community-Based Health Studies

We discuss strategies to promote the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities (DDs) in qualitative community-based research studies. Strategies were applied in three projects conducted between 2012 and 2017 that addressed issues of socioeconomic challenges, discrimination, and exclusion of children and young adults with developmental disabilities (YADD). Strategies included partnership with community organizations; inclusion of YADD, family caregivers (FCs), and service providers in advisory committees (ACs); and strategies to accommodate YADD. As part of our contribution, we discuss issues of invisibility and exclusion of individuals with DDs who have "low" functioning capacities. There is a need to review studies sampling inclusion criteria as they may constitute a barrier for participation. Preference for sampling "high" functioning individuals may reinforce exclusion in research, and replicate broader patterns of socioeconomic exclusion of individuals with disabilities. Our discussion of inclusive research is informed by critical disability studies and the underlying principle "nothing about us without us."

A consensus statement on how to conduct inclusive health research

BACKGROUND

The active involvement of people with intellectual disabilities in research, or inclusive research, is relatively common. However, inclusive health research is less common, even though it is expected to lead to appropriate healthcare and increased quality of life. Inclusive health research can build upon lessons learned from inclusive research.

METHOD

A total of 17 experts on inclusive (health) research without intellectual disabilities and 40 experts with intellectual disabilities collaborated in this consensus statement. The consensus statement was developed in three consecutive rounds: (1) an initial feedback round; (2) a roundtable discussion at the 2016 International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities World Congress; and (3) a final feedback round.

RESULTS

This consensus statement provides researchers with guidelines, agreed upon by experts in the field, regarding attributes, potential outcomes, reporting and publishing, and future research directions, for designing and conducting inclusive health research.

CONCLUSIONS

Consensus was reached on how to design and conduct inclusive health research. However, this statement should be continuously adapted to incorporate recent knowledge. The focus of this consensus statement is largely on inclusive health research, but the principles can also be applied to other areas.

Peer-reviewed articles on inclusive research: Do co-researchers with intellectual disabilities have a voice?

BACKGROUND

Inclusive research is increasingly common in intellectual disabilities research, but ways in which voice of co-researchers with intellectual disabilities is presented remain underexplored in the literature.

MATERIALS AND METHOD

The authors conducted a literature review and analysis of peer-reviewed journal articles reporting on inclusive research. The aim was to explore the ways the voices of co-researchers with intellectual disabilities are represented in published peer-reviewed journal articles.

RESULTS

The findings indicate that there are a wide range of ways in which inclusive research projects are reported in peer-reviewed journals. However, the experiences, views and opinions of co-researchers are often either absent or very selectively reported.

CONCLUSIONS

The article concludes that although inclusive research has proliferated in the 21st century, more attention needs to be paid to the ways in which the voices of co-researchers with intellectual disabilities are heard in formal academic contexts. Guidelines for future practice are offered.

The Efficacy of Three Learning Methods Collaborative, Context-Based Learning and Traditional, on Learning, Attitude and Behaviour of Undergraduate Nursing Students: Integrating Theory and Practice

INTRODUCTION

Communication skills training, responsibility, respect, and self-awareness are important indexes of changing learning behaviours in modern approaches.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of three learning approaches, collaborative, context-based learning (CBL), and traditional, on learning, attitude, and behaviour of undergraduate nursing students.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This study was a clinical trial with pretest and post-test of control group. The participants were senior nursing students. The samples were randomly assigned to three groups; CBL, collaborative, and traditional. To gather data a standard questionnaire of students' behaviour and attitude was administered prior to and after the intervention. Also, the rate of learning was investigated by a researcher-developed questionnaire prior to and after the intervention in the three groups.

RESULTS

In CBL and collaborative training groups, the mean score of behaviour and attitude increased after the intervention. But no significant association was obtained between the mean scores of behaviour and attitude prior to and after the intervention in the traditional group. However, the mean learning score increased significantly in the CBL, collaborative, and traditional groups after the study in comparison to before the study.

CONCLUSION

Both CBL and collaborative approaches were useful in terms of increased respect, self-awareness, self-evaluation, communication skills and responsibility as well as increased motivation and learning score in comparison to traditional method.

Active involvement of people with intellectual disabilities in health research - A structured literature review

Actively involving people with intellectual disabilities (ID) in health research, also known as inclusive health research, is increasingly popular. Currently, insight into experiences of this type of research is scarce. To gain insight into this topic, a structured literature review was conducted focussing on (1) existing theories, (2) inclusive methods, (3) added value and (4) barriers and facilitators. Literature published between January 2000 and January 2014 was included covering keywords related to ID and inclusive health research. Searches were performed in Pubmed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, EMBASE and MEDLINE databases, resulting in 26 included papers. Papers were quality assessed and analysed using qualitative data analysis software. Four theories were often simultaneously addressed: participatory research, emancipatory research, inclusive research and Arnstein's ladder. Barriers and facilitators could be divided into preparing, undertaking and finalising phases of research. Authors indicated that their motivation to conduct inclusive health research was based on demands by policy and funding bodies or was based on ethical considerations (i.e., ethical notions and giving people with ID a voice). Upon completion, authors perceived increased quality and validity of their research and several benefits for stakeholders (i.e., people with ID, researchers and healthcare professionals). Overall, there was consistency in their perception of the most important aspects of inclusive health research. Based on the analysis of included papers, four recommendations of inclusive health research with people with ID were found. Inclusive health research should be: (1) tailoring to the specific study; (2) anticipating all stakeholders; (3) considering its added value; and (4) providing insight into its process.

The Conundrum of Training and Capacity Building for People with Learning Disabilities Doing Research

Background

This study explores the training involved when people with learning disabilities take their place in the community as researchers. This was a theme in a recent UK seminar series where a network of researchers explored pushing the boundaries of participatory research.

Method

Academics, researchers with learning disabilities, supporters and other inclusive researchers considered important themes arising from presentations about developments in participatory research. The paper emerges from critical reflection on these rich discussions.

Results

A seminar series is a form of research training and capacity building, albeit a dynamic, interactive and collegial one. More formal training in research skills for people with learning disabilities is being developed but raises questions regarding the best contribution people with learning disabilities can make to the research process.

Conclusion

There are various models of training for inclusive research, but these need to be reciprocal if they are not to undermine the inclusive goal.

Characteristic interviews, different strategies: Methodological challenges in qualitative interviewing among respondents with mild intellectual disabilities

Conducting qualitative research interviews among individuals with intellectual disabilities, including cognitive limitations and difficulties in communication, presents particular research challenges. One question is whether the difficulties that informants encounter affect interviews to such an extent that the validity of the results is weakened. This article focuses on voluntary informed consent and the specific challenges with the greatest effects on such interviews. The discussion shows that complementary and meaningful descriptions from informants imply the need to employ alternative strategies and methods that may, in other contexts, challenge the traditional understanding of what is acceptable in research.

Conceptualizing inclusive research with people with intellectual disability

BACKGROUND

The inclusion of people with intellectual disability in research is a common requirement of research funding. Little conceptual clarity is available to guide the conduct of inclusive research or judge its fidelity, there is minimal evidence of its impact, and questions remain about its feasibility and rigour.

METHOD

A comprehensive review of the peer reviewed literature and key texts was undertaken to more clearly conceptualize inclusive research and identify the issues associated with ways of approaching it.

FINDING

Three approaches to inclusive research were identified: advisory, leading and controlling, and collaborative group. Using the literature and the authors' own experience, each approach is illustrated and discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

A clearer conceptual framework is developed to guide researchers and administrators as they consider inclusive research and its feasibility to particular research questions. A strong self-advocacy movement is identified as one of the conditions necessary for inclusive research to flourish.

BACKGROUND

Organisations including government that fund research about people with an intellectual disability in the UK and Australia say it is important that people with an intellectual disability are involved in planning and doing research that is about them; this is called inclusive research. Some people have written about what they have done but not enough has been written and shared about the different ways of doing inclusive research.

METHOD

The people who wrote this paper looked at all the literature about ways of doing inclusive research and reflected on the way they had worked with a group of self advocates in writing about their history.

RESULTS

There are three main ways of doing inclusive research; (i) Where people with an intellectual disability give advice about what to do; (ii) Where people with an intellectual disability lead and control research (iii) Where people with and without intellectual disability work together as a group with different jobs based on their different interests and skills.

CONCLUSIONS

In the past there has been an idea that there is only one way to do inclusive research. This paper talks about the advantages and disadvantages of different ways of doing inclusive research, and when you might choose one way rather than another.