Communication inclusive research: Mixing sensory and visual ethnography with augmentative and alternative communication

Advancing the field of disability can be difficult when the insights of many are beyond the science of rudimentary data collection. People with complex communication access needs, including many citizens with intellectual disability, are frequently overlooked as participants in research investigations. This article provides an overview of the methodological adaptations made to a study titled The meaning of home for people with complex communication (access) needs. The study combined augmentative and alternative communication with sensory and visual ethnography to create new methods that were tested and eventually implemented and evaluated within a formal study cohort that included people with
intellectual disability.