This strategy can be used for: Research Skills Training | Team Decision Making | Choosing a Topic for Research
Online surveys allow team members to privately contribute their perspectives, without concern of others’ opinions or social pressure. Contributions/responses from individual team members can be compiled and reported at the aggregate level to inform team decision making or evaluate the knowledge of the team.
Online surveys can be used before meetings to:
- Identify priority topics to discuss at meetings
- Provide a preliminary vote or feedback on a decision
- Determine initial perspectives on a topic or issue
- Provide initial feedback that can be explored in more depth during the meeting
- To inform research skills training (e.g., evaluate initial understanding of research skills, identify skills team members would like to learn more about)
Online survey can be used after meetings to:
- Provide a final vote or decision
- Provide additional feedback on meeting topics, content, or materials generated
- To evaluate research skills training (e.g., evaluate satisfaction with research skills training)
- Identify topics for future meetings
Security note: Organizations might limit the type of information research teams are allowed to gather using online surveys. Research teams should check with their organization before using any online survey platform.
Access Accommodations and Supports
- Some online survey platforms allow images to be inserted next to questions to support understanding.
- Team members may need individual support to complete the survey to support reading, comprehension, or visual-motor navigation of the survey. Team members can complete the survey while a support person is on the phone or shares their screen in a web video conference.
- Online surveys can be converted to a word document or pdf, as these formats may be more accessible for some team members. The documents can be emailed or mailed to a team member, completed on their local device or by hand, and sent back to the research team.
- Some online survey features, such as drop and drag or slider bars, may be more difficult to control for team members with visual-motor impairments. Check with team members to ensure these response features are accessible.
Resources
- This document shows a visual image of accessible meeting procedures: Partnership Procedures Visual
- Qualtrics is a tool that can be used to make online surveys. Here is a webpage with information that might be helpful to survey respondents
- Google Forms is a tool that can be used to make online forms and surveys. Here are some resources for using this tool:
- Video showing how to respond to a Google Form
- Video showing how to create a Google Form
Tools to explore
- To find images to insert in your survey, check out The Noun Project. The Noun Project is an online repository of images. You can sign up for a free account to download images. Paid accounts include some options for customizing images.
- There are many platforms for making online surveys. Here are links to a few of these platforms:
References
Examples of studies using this strategy
Benevides, T. W., Shore, S. M., Palmer, K., Duncan, P., Plank, A., Andresen, M. L., Caplan, R., Cook, B., Gassner, D., Hector, B. L., Morgan, L., Nebeker, L., Purkis, Y., Rankowski, B., Wittig, K., & Coughlin, S. S. (2020). Listening to the autistic voice: Mental health priorities to guide research and practice in autism from a stakeholder-driven project. Autism : The International Journal of Research and Practice, 24(4), 822–833. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361320908410
Kramer, J. M., Schwartz, A. E., Watkins, D., Peace, M., Luterman, S., Barnhart, B., Bouma-Sims, J., Riley, J., Shouse, J., Maharaj, R., Rosenberg, C. R., Harvey, K., Huereña, J., Schmid, K., & Alexander, J. S. (2019). Improving research and practice: Priorities for young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 12(3-4), 97-125. https://doi.org/10.1080/19315864.2019.1636910
Talebizadeh, Z., & Shah, A. (2018). building a bridge between genetics and outcomes research: Application in autism (The AutGO Study). The Patient, 11(4), 451–462. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40271-018-0302-z
Examples of studies using this accommodation
Bonham, G. S., Basehart, S., Schalock, R. L., Marchand, C. B., Kirchner, N., & Remenap, J. M. (2004). Consumer-based quality of life assessment: The Maryland ask me! Project. Mental Retardation, 42(5), 338–355. https://doi.org/10.1352/0047-6765(2004)42%3C338:cqolat%3E2.0.co;2
Kramer, J., Barth, Y., Curtis, K., Livingston, K., O’Neil, M., Smith, Z., Vallier, S., & Wolfe, A. (2013). Involving youth with disabilities in the development and evaluation of a new advocacy training: Project TEAM. Disability and Rehabilitation, 35(7), 614–622. https://doi.org/10.3109/09638288.2012.705218
Powers, L. E., Garner, T., Valnes, B., Squire, P., Turner, A., Couture, T., & Dertinger, R. (2007). Building a successful adult life: Findings from youth-directed research. Exceptionality, 15(1), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362830709336925