Dialogue matters. Exploring Deaf people’s research experiences in Poland

The meaningful engagement of Deaf people in research poses ethical challenges, yet Deaf people are systematically underrepresented in discussions on ethical research conduct. Our study explores experiences and opinions of Polish Deaf people about research through a bilingual open-ended online survey. We gathered 52 responses and analysed them in collaboration with a Deaf advisory group using an experiential approach to reflexive thematic analysis. We developed six themes, reflecting the challenges, needs and aspirations of Deaf people, embraced under one overarching theme: Dialogue matters. Our study highlights social and epistemic inequalities faced by Deaf people in research, as well as the need for greater accessibility and trust. We discuss how the Polish context both reflects and differs from the experiences of Deaf people from other countries. The findings may inform evidence-based recommendations for scientific cooperation between Deaf and hearing people.