Chapter 2: Issues Inherent in Researching Learning Disabilities

This chapter examines various ethical and methodological issues related to the inclusion of people with learning disabilities in a research project, be they ‘active’ participants or the passive recipients of a particular intervention. These include considerations of the nature of the research itself and the notion of inclusivity; informed consent and understanding the research process. This chapter first explores the idea of ‘inclusivity’, and goes on to look at the roles people with learning disabilities may adopt in a research project (beyond that of being mere ‘subjects’). It ends with an examination of issues around interviewing and other data gathering when they are in their roles as informers or respondents.