2. Diversity in PPI Contributors

While you are seeking a diversity of views and perspectives in order to better understand the context within which your research exists, to what extent are you actively building that diversity in your approaches. Apart from a mix of age groups and genders, your PPI contributors may include the following:

• People with disabilities,
• People from the Traveller Community,
• People from LGBT+ Communities,
• People of different races or ethnic backgrounds,
• People from different socioeconomic backgrounds,
• People from urban or rural environments,
• People of different literacy levels.

You must consider, in your recruitment, in your communications and in your PPI activities, that people who are part of these groups feel:

• invited,
• welcomed,
• included,
• respected,
• their views are valued.

In order to do this well, there are many helpful guides, e.g. Customer Communications Toolkit for the Public Service — A Universal Design Approach (National Disability Authority, 2019). There are many NGOs that can provide useful advice about what is physically, socially or culturally appropriate to accommodate diverse PPI contributors.

You can, of course, ask the person about their own preferences. By building trust with them, you can discuss what would be a good experience for them. Some people will be very clear about this while others will not. It is always helpful to check back in with people during the involvement; people might only realise what they need during an activity but be too shy to ask, or may believe that the chance to ask has passed.

See a classification of different types of adaptations in the APPLY Section.