Disability Etiquette in Research

As a component of the Investing in inclusive WASH: Identifying barriers and values project, ASB organised a series of training and workshops from May to June 2020. The activities involved participants from the project’s key actors; researchers from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and representatives of the Working Group of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities in Palu, Sigi, and Donggala (Pokja OPD’s Pasigala).

The first session of the series was a training on disability etiquette which was held on Tuesday, 12 May 2020.

Delivered through an interactive webinar, the training was presented by Samsinar, a member of the Pokja OPDis Pasigala. During the session, Samsinar shared essential and practical tips on how to interact with persons with disabilities in a dignified and courteous manner. Furthermore, she elaborated ethical and accessibility considerations in conducting data collection which involves persons with disabilities. This theme of training is particularly important considering that the “Investing in inclusive WASH” project focuses on working closely with persons with disabilities. Further information about this research project is available on ASB’s website here in English and Bahasa.

Eight follow-up sessions will be organised subsequently on various themes related to project implementation, including research ethics, research instruments, and data collection trials. An interactive webinar format will be used throughout this series of activities following the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Certain measures were taken to ensure accessibility of the training and workshop delivery for all participants with diverse learning needs and functioning limitations. ASB ensured the availability of Sign Language interpretation, and distributed of learning materials prior to training/ workshop dates.

This blog post was written by Rizma Kristiana. You can view the original shared by ASB in their June newsletter.

Feature photo credit: Rizma Kristiana, Arbeiter Samariter Bund Office for Indonesia and the Philippines