Going to the Doctor's

Abstract

The article examines the potential of the focus group as a specific tool for appropriately engaging people with learning disabilities in the research process. The focus group is advocated as an appropriate tool that can `collectivize' the experiences of people who may have limited communication skills. This method can be used in conjunction with others to gain service user viewpoints and to involve people with learning disabilities in research. In the article I share some of the findings from a study which involved people with learning disabilities through a focus group. Issues of how I obtained consent from the participants and how I attempted to acknowledge the power differential between participants and myself as the researcher are highlighted. Obtaining consent and recognizing the power difference between the researcher and people with learning disabilities are put forward as key challenges for those wishing to engage in disability research.