Key considerations when interviewing individuals with expressive language difficulties.

Verseghy, Judy; Atack, Lynda; Maher, Janet

Qualitative research comes with its fair share of challenges; however, those challenges are often amplified when interviewing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A research project, Friendly Housemates, was conducted where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were matched with post-secondary students to live together as housemates. Drawing on experience gleaned from interviews conducted for the study and earlier research, recommendations are made for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data from participants who are quiet or have expressive language difficulties. These practices will help to ensure that the voices that are so often relegated to the fringes are brought to the disability research discourse.

ARTICULATION disorders; COMMUNICATIVE disorders; DEVELOPMENTAL disabilities; HOUSING; INTERPERSONAL relations; INTERVIEWING; LANGUAGE disorders; RESEARCH methodology; RESEARCH funding; PILOT projects; PATIENTS' attitudes

Qualitative Research, 2020, Vol 20, Issue 6, p960

1468-7941

Academic Journal

10.1177/1468794120909038