Methodological and Ethical Issues in Research with Deaf Persons: Experiences from Uganda

Abstract

This paper examines the key methodological and ethical issues on the appropriateness of applying research methods designed for the hearing population while conducting research on these individuals. Based on fieldwork conducted in Uganda in 2012 and 2013, this qualitative study was informed by the interpretive theoretical proposition, which provided an overall orienting lens through which the findings were discussed. A total of 42 DHH persons were interviewed while three Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were held with selected individuals. The study shows that the design and application of the traditional research approaches and methods of data collection and analysis to studies involving DHH persons present a host of methodological and ethical dilemmas largely arising from its unique social and linguistic characteristics. The overall conclusion is that researchers on issues involving these ' silent ' individuals should be as flexible and dynamic as possible while applying the universally used research methods and techniques.