Three paths, one target group: comparison of recruitment methods for people with disabilities

Abstract This paper examines strategies for recruiting people with disabilities to participate in quantitative social research. Using a mixed-methods approach, three recruitment pathways were compared in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany from August 2023 to March 2024: Online convenience sampling via social media, Community-based organizational sampling (CBO), and Time-location sampling (TLS) in sheltered workshops for people with disabilities. The study recruited 1,211 participants across the three methods. Results indicate each strategy reached different subgroups within the disability community. Online convenience and CBO approaches provided broad reach, while TLS face-to-face in sheltered workshops was essential for including underrepresented individuals with higher support needs. The findings highlight the importance of using multiple complementary methods to achieve diverse, representative samples of people with disabilities. This research contributes insights on effective recruitment strategies to improve the inclusivity of disability studies and ensure the perspectives of people with disabilities are adequately represented in social research.