Policies within UK universities outline that research undertaken therein requires ethical review, however the process of obtaining favourable opinion can be inaccessible to Autistic ADHD students due to ableism and other issues, within Higher Education (Botha, 2021).
I wanted to know whether I was the only Autistic and ADHD / Attention Hyperactive person who really struggled with my degree ethics application. So I asked others about their experiences too.
Objectives – what did i want to do?
Investigate Autistic ADHD individuals’ experiences of ethical processes within UK universities.
Create recommendations for UK universities to make ethics applications more accessible.
Share advice for Autistic ADHD individuals applying for ethics.
Methods – How did i do this?
A 10 question survey was shared online via social media.
I shared a post on Facebook and Twitter which read: “Do you have any recommendations for UK universities to make the ethics application process easier for Autistic ADHD individuals?”
Information was thematically analysed / grouped together by ideas which were similar and repeated (Braun & Clarke, 2019).
Participants – who did i talk to?
Self or formally identified Autistic ADHD people with experience in applying for ethical approval in a UK university within humanities and social sciences.
I got 10 respondents, from across the UK, from the schools of education, psychology, politics, literature and design research.
Findings
My experiences as a neurodivergent research student were reflected in the experiences of those surveyed, who shared:
“Questions were obtuse or confusing.”
“I found [my university] to be really inaccessible […] It was a truly debilitating process.”
“The entire process is really overwhelming and could prevent people applying for university in the first place.”
“It’s all well and good for universities to offer this support, but if it’s not easily accessible to all learners it’s not exactly helpful.”
Recommendations for universities
“It would be far easier if it were on a designated webpage /website that works as a one-stop shop.”
“Have a bank of completed/successful applications. Have templates for the documents [researchers] need to include.”
“Clear language and simple guidelines.”
Advice for Autistic ADHD individuals undergoing ethics application in UK universities:
“Make a list of all the forms you need at the start and work through them one by one.”
“Allow yourself three times as long as you think it will take.”
“Ask many questions until it becomes clear. Don’t be afraid to ask twice.”
Findings will be written up in full alongside my experiences in a book chapter coming out later in 2024.
For more on where my poster was presented: Neurodiversity in Higher Education.
Are Autistic people supported at University?
References:
Botha, M. (2021). Academic, Activist, or Advocate? Angry, Entangled, and Emerging: A Critical Reflection on Autism Knowledge Production. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727542
Braun, V., & Clarke V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research on Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597.