Deborah - Disabled people generally are considered a specially vulnerable
population because there is a history of our being exploited in research.
(See Belmont Report etc.)
But it should be possible for your IRB to identify the historical
instances that pertain to blind people and for you to add a footnote
pointing out that your research is not like the horrid historical
examples, as part of an expedited process. The American Journal of
Bioethics had a discussion of the general subject of vulnerable
populations and the Belmont standards a while back.
best,
anita
On Fri, 20 May 2005, Deborah Allen wrote:
> I am in the process of getting approval for two research projects from my
> university's Institutional Review Board, and I encountered a problem that
> troubles me. Both of my projects involve participation from blind
> respondents. Before I can proceed with my research, the IRB staff is
> requiring me to go through a full review instead of an expedited review
> because blind people are considered a protected population. As a blind
> person myself, I question the attitude that supports such a policy. Since I
> am new to the process of conducting serious research, I will appreciate
> hearing from people with more experience with these matters. I have funding
> for my projects and full support from several professors.
>
> Deborah Allen
>
> ________________End of message______________________
>
> Archives and tools for the Disability-Research Discussion List
> are now located at:
>
> www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
>
> You can JOIN or LEAVE the list from this web page.
>
________________End of message______________________
Archives and tools for the Disability-Research Discussion List
are now located at:
www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/disability-research.html
You can JOIN or LEAVE the list from this web page.
|