Deaf and hard of hearing learners who have recently immigrated and are multilingual (IDMLs; learners with a home language that varies from the dominant culture spoken language [e.g., English] or sign language [e.g., American Sign Language; British Sign Language] and who have recently immigrated) are a low-incidence, diverse and vulnerable population.. Throughout the research process with IDMLs researchers are confronted with ethical questions and dilemmas (Sivunen, 2019; Duggan & Holmström, in press).
Intersecting categories of identity in relation to d/Deaf and hard of hearing people require multiple lenses for addressing issues which cross section this subset of populations and particularly the category of migration status. In addition, power hierarchies within the subset and between majority and minority positions operate from ideologies about language, disability, race and ethnicity. Researchers should conduct ethically sensitive research which scrutinize power inequalities, including their own positions. Furthermore, establishing principles which acknowledge how processes and reviews of what is deemed as ethical research also may contribute to research being hindered or being carried out at all. It is therefore paramount that for example ethics of informed consent which are designed for facilitating communication about research processes must include all levels of communication skills not the least those who are in powers of position regarding which research will be done and unknowledgeable about the situations in the field of education, Deaf Studies etc.
So on one hand extensive ethical aspects need to be considered when researching with IDMLs, on the other hand no specific ethical guidelines on this issue exist. According to this desideratum, the goals of this research project are to: (1) define ethical questions and dilemmas in research with IDMLs; (2) delineate specific ethical guidelines for research with IDMLs to establish a much needed standard for researching this vulnerable group. To reach these goals, two types of data collection will be conducted: (1) scoping review on ethical aspects already considered in research on DHH children and adolescents and (ID)MLs; (2) expert interviews with experienced researchers in the field of IDMLs as well as IDMLs themselves, who have already taken part in research.
References
Duggan, N. & Holmström, I. (in press) “They have no language”: Exploring language ideologies in adult education for deaf migrants. Apples - Journal of Applied Language Studies.
Sivunen, N. (2019) An Ethnographic Study of Deaf Refugees Seeking Asylum in Finland. Societies, 9(2), 1-16.
