Introducing a Participatory Action Research set of symbols

Global Symbols now has a Participatory Action Research symbol set thanks to Strategic Education Solutions who received a grant in 2023 that focused on collaborative research that encourages people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to work on research projects about their lives. Meaningful roles and fair pay was considered important for all participants involved, but some academic and legal terms are hard to understand making purposeful inclusive research challenging.

The team of researchers and self-advocates created a visual vocabulary list to help. They brainstormed words and pictures for each term. They worked with a graphic artist to bring their ideas to life. The list includes 38 terms often used in research projects. Each term has a symbol and a plain language definition. The hope is that others will use the symbols in their research, training, and outreach.

The Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities in USA funded this work. Cynthia Burrow, James Meadours, Brenda Sullivan, and Ashley Sattler created the vocabulary list. Graphic artist Rene Flores designed the symbols. This work is part of the Self-Advocate Network. The team connect researchers and self-advocates, encouraging collaboration and will be offering free training for self-advocates and tools for researchers in 2025. It is possible to contact the Self-Advocate Network team online.