33 - Programmatic Research Compliance Guidance for Accessible Research Initiatives

Background: Accessible research design improves information sharing for individuals with and without disabilities. Accessible study measures, interventions, and programs increase usability and promote diversity and inclusion when engaging a participant population and help ensure that individuals have the necessary details about a study to determine their participation.

Program

Description: With a goal that everyone benefits from accessible information, our IRB office developed two approaches (1) researcher-centered guides to support accessible study design creation, and (2) research compliance support for researchers to develop accessible participant materials (e.g., clear consent forms, recruitment materials, etc.). To meet these goals we followed three methods, (1) consult with the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities to apply similar strategies in a research context, (2) review areas where researchers could improve the accessibility of information presented on research materials, and (3) apply what we learned to our own educational material creation (e.g., accessible research compliance checklists for researchers).

Program

Assessment: The more aware staff were of accessibility, the greater efforts we took to ensure that materials were accessible to everyone.

Limitations: There is a myth that accessible content creation is expensive, cumbersome, and difficult. Confronting this myth takes outreach and consistent messaging. Myth busting communication can take time to convey to a large audience and takes effort to set an example of accessibility standards.

Discussion: Everyone benefits from accessible information. We developed a checklists, guides, and wrote blog posts to support accessibility both for researchers who design studies and IRB offices who create educational materials. We intend to share the materials we created for this program for other IRBs to sample as they develop similar resources while collaborating with their respective departments.