Dear Caregivers,
You are invited to participate in the research project noted above, which researchers from the University of Newcastle are conducting.
The research is part of Dimity Comino’s PhD studies at the University of Newcastle, supervised by Associate Professor Jill Duncan and Dr Laura Roche from the School of Education.
The information below provides more detail about the study and how you can participate if you choose to do so.
What is the research study about?
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing with disabilities often face communicative challenges, resulting in the need for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems, e.g., PODD books, PECS, and apps such as Proloquo2go. There is currently little research on best assigning and implementing different types of AAC to these children to maximise their efficacy.
This research will investigate the perspectives of caregivers of children who are deaf or hard of hearing in special schools, to determine patterns and themes in the current practice of AAC implementation to provide insight into best practices. This research will be conducted via an online survey.
Who is conducting the research?
This research is being conducted by researchers from the University of Newcastle’s School of Education.
Who can participate in the research?
Caregivers of students in Queensland who are deaf or hard of hearing that use an AAC system as part of their communication are invited to complete an online survey regarding their individual perspectives.
What does participation involve?
You will be invited to complete the online Caregiver Perspectives Survey on the next page. This survey includes a set of basic demographic questions and 12 open-ended questions about the AAC systems used, AAC goals, your confidence in implementing AAC systems, and communication with other stakeholders. This survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
If you agree to participate, you will be given a unique identifier so that your name will not be used in any aspect of the research. If you do not wish to provide your email, your survey will be anonymous. You will not be asked to provide identifiable information about yourself or your child.
Do you have to take part in this research study?
No. Participation in this research study is voluntary. If you do not want to take part, you do not have to. You can withdraw from the research study up until the point of your survey being deidentified.
What is the benefit of participating in this research study?
By participating in this survey, you will have the opportunity to help other caregivers, educators, public servants, and academics better understand decision-making processes and the implementation of AAC for this population and begin to develop best practices.
Are there any risks associated with participating in this research?
There are no anticipated risks associated with the research. However, reflecting on the process of decision making may cause distressing feelings, in which case we encourage you to contact one of the following:
How will your privacy be protected?
Data will be retained securely for a minimum period of five years from the completion of the research project. Information will be managed and stored by the
University’s Research Data and Materials Management Guideline or any successor Guideline, and any other applicable University of Newcastle policy provisions.
Access to identifiable data will be limited to the three researchers conducting the study unless: you have consented otherwise, or disclosure is required by law for us to comply with our regulatory obligations.
Information collected through the QuestionPro Survey, if you choose to provide it, will also comply with the privacy policy outlined on their website (https://www.questionpro.com/help/privacy-policy.html).
Questions in the survey do not relate directly to personal information about your child. All survey responses will be deidentified. Email addresses provided for the purpose of obtaining an executive summary will be separated from the survey answers at the point of collection, before answers being viewed by the research team.
The survey is being conducted using QuestionPro which has data centres based in different regions: US Seattle, USA Dallas, USA Canada: Toronto, CA Europe (EU): Meppel, Netherlands, Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Dubai, UAE. Information you provide on this survey will be transferred to QuestionPro's server in one of the mentioned locations. By completing this survey, you agree to this transfer.
How will information collected by the research team be used?
Data will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals and will be presented at Australian and international conferences. The information will also contribute to Dimity Comino’s doctoral thesis.
If you would like a copy of the summary of the results, please indicate your request at the end of survey and provide your email address as indicated.
Individual participants will not be identifiable in any of the outputs generated from the research project, but individual anonymous responses may be quoted.
Non-identifiable data may be shared with other parties as part of a peer-review process to verify the robustness and integrity of the study or to contribute to further research and public knowledge.
What you need to do to provide consent to participate?
Please read this Information Statement in its entirety and be sure you understand all the information provided before you agree to participate.
If there is anything you do not understand, or if you have questions, please contact Associate Professor Jill Duncan at jill.duncan@uon.edu.au.
If you would like to participate, please complete the following Caregiver Perspectives Survey.
What if you want to withdraw from the research study?
You may edit your answers up until the point of submission. After you have submitted your answers, you will be unable to withdraw your contributions from the study.
Your decision not to participate in this study will not affect your relationship with the University of Newcastle or any other organisations involved in this research.
Do you need more information?
If you would like more information about this research project or your potential involvement, please get in touch with Dr Duncan at jill.duncan@uon.edu.au.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this information,
PhD Student
Dimity Comino
Principal Supervisor and Chief Investigator
Associate Professor Jill Duncan
Co-supervisor
Dr Laura Roche
Concerns or complaints about this research:
This project has been approved by the University of Newcastle’s Human Research Ethics Committee, Approval No. H-2023-0367.
If you have concerns about your rights as a participant in this research, or if you have a complaint about how the research is conducted, please get in touch with the Chief Investigator, Associate Professor Duncan, at jill.duncan@newcastle.edu.au.
If you would prefer to contact someone independent of the research project, you can forward your concerns to:
Human Research Ethics Officer
Research and Innovation Services
University of Newcastle
University Drive
Callaghan NSW 2308, Australia
Phone: (02) 4921 6333
By clicking 'Start' you are agreeing to participate in the above research project and give your consent freely.
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