People with a Learning Disability
Do you have a learning disability?
Here is some information to tell you what the study is about and what you will be asked to do if you decide to take part. You can also read more about this in the Information Sheet, or Listen Here. You might find it helpful to talk about this with someone you are close to.
What is the study about?
The study is about how people with learning disabilities might make choices about parenthood and having children.
What will happen?
If you want to take part you must be aged 18 or over. I will talk to you and ask you some questions – this is called an interview. The interview should take about an hour and can be done on the phone or by video call, you can choose what is best for you. To help me remember what you say I will record the interview, but don’t worry it will only be me that listens to it.
What will you be asked about?
- I want to talk to you about family, relationships and children.
- I might ask you about family, friends and sex and relationships.
- How you make choices about important things in your life, and who and what helps you to make these decisions.
- I want to know what you think are important decisions for people deciding to have a baby. Or how people decide not to have a baby.
- I want to know if having a child is something you have ever thought about.
You should only talk about things you feel happy sharing. There are no wrong answers, so don’t worry about saying the wrong thing.
Talking about some of this might make you feel embarrassed, sad or upset. If you want to take part but then change your mind, then that’s ok. Or, if you think that you might get upset, then you can say no to taking part.
Here are links to some organisations that might be able to help if you want to learn more about the topics:
What happens if I want to take part?
You will need to have read the Information Sheet which tells you more about the study and what will happen if you decide to take part. If decide you do want to take part, then please email me (Katrina) on parenthoodstudy@newcastle.ac.uk. Then I will arrange to talk to you on the phone or by video call so you can ask me any questions you have about the study. Before we start the interview I will ask you some questions to make sure you understand what will happen and that are happy taking part, this means you are giving your consent. You can read some of these questions on the Consent Form.
