Engaging People with Intellectual Disability in Participatory Action Research: Co-Developing Sex Educational Resources

Abstract People with intellectual disability experience barriers accessing appropriate sexual health information, particularly that are developed using a participatory approach. A Participatory Action Research Group (PARG) including two people with intellectual disability and ten people working in sexual health education worked alongside researchers to develop sex education resources for young people with intellectual disability. Through seven co-development meetings, PARG members contributions benefited the research outputs. They viewed the co-development process as valuable to the sector and identified how the research team facilitated their meaningful engagement. This paper adds to the literature that informs participatory action research and highlights the steps required to engage people with lived experience in inclusive research methods.