Online qualitative research with disabled children and young people in Scotland: A reflection on its advantages and disadvantages, and how limitations were addressed

Abstract

With the COVID-19 pandemic, online recruitment strategies and data generation processes have become popular in social science research. Although online and creative methods, such as digital photo elicitation, online interviews, and discussion forums are increasingly used in qualitative health research, their use with disabled children and young people is not well established. Drawing on the online methodological approach used for a qualitative study conducted with disabled children and young people in Scotland, exploring their experiences of accessing healthcare and other supports during the pandemic, we reflect on our concerns and learning in relation to a digital interviewing process. Limitations and challenges of online and digital methods were varied and partially addressed by both research subjects and researchers. A significant limitation entailed the digital divide, which meant that families without the equipment and connectivity might have had less opportunity to hear about the research and participate. However, an online approach minimised travel costs, facilitated interview data transcription and, most importantly, offered children and young people a variety of participative and digital tools to talk about their experiences. Our paper raises questions on the assumptions often made about the difficulty of doing research with disabled children and young people by highlighting the benefits of this approach. It also suggests that some limitations can be addressed by engaging in collaborative and creative work between research participants and researchers.