This article explores the ethical questions that were central to a qualitative study of the parenting experiences of parents with an intellectual disability. The study was located in three cities in New Zealand and involved 19 parents who have an intellectual disability. It considers three aspects of the research process, all of which involve significant ethical matters that need to be addressed throughout the research process. The first concerns issues around the construction of knowledge. Here fundamental issues such as who controls knowledge and knowledge production are explored. Building on the first issue, the second focuses on the significance of relationships in research and explores the factors that contribute to effective research relationships. The final theme explores social change in research and the role of the participant and researcher in this change process. The article provides a critical reflection on research practice by foregrounding common ethical concerns and poses some of the possible responses to these concerns so that research remains authentic and protects the interests of all participants. These involve seeking clarity around research aims and processes from the participants and others who have an interest in the research and its potential outcomes. . Jackie Sanders has twenty years' experience in health and social service planning and management. Her interests are the study of diverse groups of children and families, evaluation and planning for social service delivery and the development of new models of practice. Brigit Mirfin-Veitch has been a researcher with the Donald Beasley Institute, Dunedin, New Zealand since 1994. Brigit has a strong interest in deinstitutionalization and also conducts research in the area of health education with women with intellectual disabilities and has a commitment to work that increases the opportunity for women to have better access to health information. Jenny Conder is a Senior Lecturer in Nursing at the Otago Polytechnic and Senior Researcher with the Donald Beasley Institute, Dunedin, New Zealand. Jenny has a long history in both the fields of intellectual disability and child and family health nursing. Her recent research has focused on parents with an intellectual disability and health issues for people with an intellectual disability.
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