Obtaining Informed Consent of Vulnerable Populations for Participating in Social and Education Sciences Research

Obtaining Informed Consent of Vulnerable Populations for Participating in Social and Education Sciences Research
Karen S. Voytecki, Gregory L. Hassler
International Conference on Social and Education Sciences, 17-20 October 2024; Chicago, USA
Abstract
Obtaining informed consent is the foundation of ethics in clinical research involving human participants. Individuals who provide informed consent acknowledge they understand all aspects of the research including the nature of the study, the risks and benefits of participation, the participant’s rights, study procedures, research duration, confidentiality, and voluntariness. The process of obtaining informed consent from research study participants contains legal and ethical procedures. The “Common Rule” identifies “vulnerable subjects” for research purposes as “children, prisoners, individuals with impaired decision-making capacity, or economically or educational disadvantaged persons.” This social and education sciences research article explores a pragmatic approach for Institutional Review Boards (“IRBs”) to review research protocols involving individuals with disabilities and/or those who are educationally-disadvantaged as study participants. Consideration is also given to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles in relation to appropriate and effective accessibility options to IRB materials. As a direct result, a process is formed for obtaining informed consent of vulnerable participants in social and education sciences research.