Reconciling the Past and Changing the Future
Know about and work to prevent harms in IDD-MH research & practice
All aspects of research must have meaningful involvement of persons with IDD-MH and their families
When people use their individual strengths, the team is stronger as a whole
- Leadership team
- Truth & Reconciliation co-facilitator teams
How people with IDD-MH and families can get involved in research
What is research?
Advisory board member, Max Barrows, defines research.
There are two ways to get involved in research:
Use the tabs below to learn how to volunteer to be in a research study and how to join a research team.
Volunteer to be in a research study
Jessica Kramer, a member of our leadership team, provides information about research volunteers.
These are words people use to describe research volunteers: Research participant, “human subject”, key informant, respondent
Who can volunteer for a study?
- People who meet the inclusion criteria. Studies look for people based on age, disability, race, ethnicity, language spoken, where you live, and other characteristics
What does a research volunteer do?
- Answer questions about a topic (surveys, interviews, focus groups)
- Try a new medicine, therapy, or participate in training
Be part of the team that designs and carries out a research study
A member of our leadership team, Destiny Watkins, talks about her experience as a member of a research team.
Micah Peace, a member of our leadership team, explains that researchers look just like you.
Who can be a member of a research team?
- People who are experts on a specific topic.
- What makes you an expert?
- Lived experience of IDD-MH
- Experiences with services and supports
- Prior research experience
- Other skills (for example, training as an advocate)
What would you do as a member of a research team?
- Think of research questions that are important to your everyday life.
- Make sure the steps of the research study (methods) are fair and ethical.
- Make sure the research is accessible.
- Share things about yourself and your life with the research team.
- Explain the research study to other people.
- Ask people questions (for example, give a survey or hold an interview).
- Help to understand the data.
- Share what you learn from the research with other people.