Building Inclusive Academic and Disability Community Research Partnerships: Methodological Insights for Engaging Victims With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

ABSTRACT Background Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are disproportionally at risk of and impacted by violent victimization. They also face substantial barriers to reporting victimization to the police. One of those barriers is language access. Similarly, communication can also pose challenges for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in participating in research. This manuscript aims to provide resources to help and encourage research that centres individuals with disabilities in all aspects of research. Method Through our work on a qualitative project that explored language access and communication barriers to seeking justice for victims with intellectual and developmental disabilities, we provide reflection and recommendations about working with the disability community throughout the research process. In line with the scope of our study, we focus our discussion on issues related to language access and communication. Conclusion Involving individuals with disabilities in informing the justice process and as partners in research is crucial for developing policies and programs that appropriately serve the disability community. There are resources available to help researchers co‐create knowledge with the disability community.