The development of a co-researcher training with and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Abstract

Background: To build capacity among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to become co-researchers they need the opportunity to learn about research. Method: An inclusive research team developed an online training to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to serve as co-researchers. Seven participants were recruited as pilot trainees. The co-researcher training consisted of two 1-h training sessions. Pre- and post-surveys and a focus group were conducted to examine participant experiences with the co-researcher training. Results: The participants were actively engaged during the co-researcher training sessions and shared they had a positive experience with it. They expressed that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities add value to the research team because of their lived experiences. Conclusion: The co-researcher training can instill a baseline level of knowledge about research in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and can be adjusted for different types of research in different settings and organisations. Lay summary: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities would like to learn more about research. They would also like to learn more about how to do research. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities who work on research are called co-researchers. Two researchers and a co-researcher with disability wrote together about research for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Seven people with intellectual and developmental disabilities took part in the class. They answered questions about how they liked the class. They also gave their opinion about research. They learned about what research is and how to do research. The class can be changed so that it can be used by other organizations.