Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us?
People who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are frequently excluded from research, yet their voices can significantly enhance the applicability, acceptability, and translation of qualitative research findings. Accessible and adapted research methods welcome and empower participan...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2024-02-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Qualitative Methods |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241234190 |
| _version_ | 1797300328030273536 |
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| author | Megan Walsh Izzi Harman Penny Manning Brenton Ponza Shirley Wong Brodie Shaw Darryl Sellwood Kate Anderson Dinah Reddihough Margaret Wallen |
| author_facet | Megan Walsh Izzi Harman Penny Manning Brenton Ponza Shirley Wong Brodie Shaw Darryl Sellwood Kate Anderson Dinah Reddihough Margaret Wallen |
| author_sort | Megan Walsh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | People who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are frequently excluded from research, yet their voices can significantly enhance the applicability, acceptability, and translation of qualitative research findings. Accessible and adapted research methods welcome and empower participants who use AAC, and enable meaningful involvement. In this article, we describe the collaborative development of a framework to conceptualise inclusive research and aspects of an accompanying inclusive research toolkit. The framework identifies balancing power as a critical factor, primarily achieved by ensuring that research methods and materials are accessible to people who use AAC. We propose that this is achieved through three interacting elements: collaboration with AAC users, skills and knowledge to achieve accessibility, and ensuring adequate time is available to achieve involvement. We identify five areas where applying these elements has impact for AAC users: recruiting AAC users, working with communication supporters, adapting research methods, securing ethics approval, and consent. In presenting the framework, we demonstrate how qualitative researchers can foster a research environment that values and actively includes AAC users, ultimately advancing the field towards more comprehensive and inclusive research practices. While our work is situated in the cerebral palsy and AAC communities, our proposed framework and toolkit can be applied by researchers seeking perspectives from individuals with communication disabilities more broadly. We have created a corresponding plain language video of this article as an additional means of optimising accessibility of the content. See supplemental material . |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:04:42Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ffbdcfc50a014178ade2973f891fa73d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1609-4069 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T23:04:42Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Qualitative Methods |
| spelling | doaj.art-ffbdcfc50a014178ade2973f891fa73d2024-02-22T06:03:18ZengSAGE PublishingInternational Journal of Qualitative Methods1609-40692024-02-012310.1177/16094069241234190Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us?Megan WalshIzzi HarmanPenny ManningBrenton PonzaShirley WongBrodie ShawDarryl SellwoodKate AndersonDinah ReddihoughMargaret WallenPeople who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) are frequently excluded from research, yet their voices can significantly enhance the applicability, acceptability, and translation of qualitative research findings. Accessible and adapted research methods welcome and empower participants who use AAC, and enable meaningful involvement. In this article, we describe the collaborative development of a framework to conceptualise inclusive research and aspects of an accompanying inclusive research toolkit. The framework identifies balancing power as a critical factor, primarily achieved by ensuring that research methods and materials are accessible to people who use AAC. We propose that this is achieved through three interacting elements: collaboration with AAC users, skills and knowledge to achieve accessibility, and ensuring adequate time is available to achieve involvement. We identify five areas where applying these elements has impact for AAC users: recruiting AAC users, working with communication supporters, adapting research methods, securing ethics approval, and consent. In presenting the framework, we demonstrate how qualitative researchers can foster a research environment that values and actively includes AAC users, ultimately advancing the field towards more comprehensive and inclusive research practices. While our work is situated in the cerebral palsy and AAC communities, our proposed framework and toolkit can be applied by researchers seeking perspectives from individuals with communication disabilities more broadly. We have created a corresponding plain language video of this article as an additional means of optimising accessibility of the content. See supplemental material .https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241234190 |
| spellingShingle | Megan Walsh Izzi Harman Penny Manning Brenton Ponza Shirley Wong Brodie Shaw Darryl Sellwood Kate Anderson Dinah Reddihough Margaret Wallen Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us? International Journal of Qualitative Methods |
| title | Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us? |
| title_full | Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us? |
| title_fullStr | Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us? |
| title_short | Including People Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Qualitative Research: Can You Hear Us? |
| title_sort | including people who use augmentative and alternative communication in qualitative research can you hear us |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241234190 |
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