Key Learnings and Considerations for Utilizing Social Media Recruitment in Parasport Research

Despite the rise of digital methodologies in qualitative health and sports research (Goodyear & Bundon, 2020), there remains a gap in the usage of online methods in parasport populations. People with disabilities are often underrepresented in research as they are a traditionally hard-to-reach population due to accessibility limitations, stigmatization, and mistrust of researchers (Banas et al., 2019). The existing role of social media as a space for advocacy and social support in the parasport community (Bundon & Clarke, 2014) makes social platforms a potential tool for qualitative parasport research. Project Echo looks to leverage social media as a participant recruitment tool in parasport populations by informing recruitment strategies with the social model of disability and by placing an emphasis on collaboration to avoid the historical medicalization and marginalization of participants with disabilities in research. This article draws on the experiences of social media recruitment from Project Echo and aims to inform researchers looking to utilize social media as a research tool in parasport populations with key learnings and considerations. Banas, J. R., Magasi, S., The, K., & Victorson, D. E. (2019). Recruiting and Retaining People With Disabilities for Qualitative Health Research: Challenges and Solutions. Qualitative Health Research, 29(7), 1056–1064. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732319833361 Bundon, A., & Hurd Clarke, L. (2014). Unless you go online you are on your own: Blogging as a bridge in para-sport. Disability & Society, 30(2), 185–198. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2014.973477 Goodyear, V., & Bundon, A. (2020). Contemporary digital qualitative research in sport, exercise and health: Introduction. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 13, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2020.1854836