"We have been magnified for years - Now you are under the microscope!": Co-researchers with Learning Disabilities Created an Online Survey to Challenge Public Understanding of Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Public attitudes towards learning disabilities (LDs) are generally reported as positive, inclusive and empathetic. However, these findings do not reflect the lived experiences of people with LDs. To shed light on this disparity, a team of co-researchers with LDs created the first online survey to challenge public understanding of LDs, asking questions in ways that are important to them and represent how they see themselves. Here, we describe and evaluate the process of creating an accessible survey platform and an online survey in a research team consisting of academic and non-academic professionals with and without LDs or autism. Through this inclusive research process, the co-designed survey met the expectations of the co-researchers and was well-received by the initial survey respondents. We reflect on the coresearchers' perspectives following the study completion, and consider the difficulties and advantages we encountered deploying such approaches and their potential implications on future survey data analysis.

Bridging Neurodiversity and Open Scholarship: How Shared Values Can Guide Best Practices for Research Integrity, Social Justice, and Principled Education

“…Its grassroots activists advocate for the full autism spectrum (Kapp, 2020;Ne'eman & Pellicano, 2022), and likewise, value the contributions of people with intellectual disabilities to scholarship and society. Supported by the growth of the inclusive post-secondary education movement (Raynor et al, 2016) and participatory research (e.g., Chapko et al, 2020;Tilley et al, 2021), people with intellectual disabilities increasingly contribute to higher education and participatory research. The issue of the scope or boundaries of neurodivergence is important but relatively unexplored and demands future research on the views of people with neurological conditions (see Dwyer, 2022;Ne'eman & Pellicano 2022 for discussions on ethical considerations).…”

Examining Career Transitioning among Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

“…In particular, the students' experiences have been investigated using a descriptive survey (McGregor et al, 2016). Chapko et al (2020) investigated public attitudes towards students with SLDs using a qualitative survey. Compared to other students, individuals who self-reported having learning difficulties (5.96%) had additional challenges brought on by extracurricular obligations and skill limitations.…”

"Piece it together": Insights from one year of engagement with electronics and programming for people with intellectual disabilities

“…This creates major barriers to entry for people with disabilities, specifically those with intellectual disabilities, as underlying health conditions often result in limited dexterity [22] and most of the components of these toolkits are small and difficult to manipulate. Work to date on accessible technology design focuses on those with motor, hearing or visual impairments [45] and Chapkol et al [17] indicate a need for the development of applications that focus on the user requirements of the neurodiverse. Their research builds upon previous research which has explored the numerous barriers to makerspace accessibility [21], and previous efforts to make electronic and maker toolkits more accessible [3,12,27,43].…”