Accessible Summary
We are eight people with learning disabilities. We did a training course at a university in London. It was called “Learning how to do research.” We learned about the 10 steps in research, and we practised how to do research.
Part of the course was doing our own research project. Then, we presented it to an audience.
In this article, our tutors describe the course. We say what it was like for us. Most of us were nervous about doing the course, but we learnt a lot from it.
There are not many opportunities for people with learning disabilities to learn about research. We think more people with learning disabilities should have the chance to do it. We hope this article helps other teachers to start a research course.
We can be researchers! Being involved in research gives us a voice.
Abstract
Background
Within learning disability research, it is important to involve people with learning disabilities at all stages, but there are limited opportunities for them to learn about the research process or to gain research skills.
Method
An eight‐session research training course for people with learning disabilities was developed and piloted at a university in London. The focus was on understanding the research process and gaining practical skills in collecting, analysing and presenting research data. Training methods were experimental, with an emphasis on learning by experience in a “fun” way.
Results
Ten people with learning disabilities completed the course, showing great enthusiasm and commitment. During the final sessions, students developed and conducted their own research projects, choosing “Employment” as their research topic. The training methods were well received. Benefits included an increase in confidence and new work opportunities for several of the students. This paper was co‐authored by the tutors and most of the course graduates.
Conclusion
It is possible for people with learning disabilities to become skilled researchers, but in order to do so, it is important that they have adequate training opportunities. Funding should be made available for more such courses.
As the largest public health crisis within a century, the COVID‐19 pandemic has caused long‐term disruption in the support systems of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) across the globe. The purpose of this study was to investigate challenges and ameliorative strategies to supporting the basic care needs of people with IDD 1 year into the pandemic, as experienced by nurses who specialize in IDD nursing. We surveyed a convenience sample of 369 nurses from across North America, Europe, and Australasia using a 52‐item online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to rank the greatest challenges and the degree of support available to nurses, and manifest content analysis was used to analyze open‐ended responses related to ongoing challenges and ameliorative strategies. Results of descriptive analyses revealed consistent findings across global regions in terms of the challenges faced by nurses; the greatest challenges related to supporting or enabling socialization with family/friends, ensuring adequate day programming or educational services, identifying/planning alternative entertainment activities, ensuring adequate staffing of familiar support workers and caregivers, and managing challenging behaviors related to change in daily routine and activities. Nurses described a considerable degree of support offered by their organizations in terms of flexibility in scheduling related to family obligations and paid time off for COVID‐19‐related isolation and quarantine. Content analysis of open‐ended survey responses revealed numerous challenges related to: (1) client socialization, meaningful activity, and mental/behavioral health; (2) interpreting, keeping up with, and helping others to understand COVID‐19 guidelines; (3) access to, quality of, and continuity of care; and (4) COVID‐19 fatigue and the influence of time. Overall, our study highlights ongoing issues with access to care and support, exacerbated by the pandemic, and the importance of having meaningful activity and socialization for overall well‐being of people with IDD during a long‐term public health crisis.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.