Understanding to act: the Informed Consent for research participants with visual impairments
Abstract
Informed consent (IC) is the underpinning of ethical research in humans. It provides potential participants with relevant information to help them decide whether to take part in a given research. In Brazil, the principles of IC are established in Resolutions 466/12 and 510/16 of the National Health Council, the latter being specific about research in human and social sciences. The purpose of this article is to report the experience of developing an IC for visually impaired students, discussing adaptations to the process so that guidelines were followed and participants’ needs were met. As a result, despite having taken place prior to Resolution 510/16, the process reported here brought to light important issues related to the guidelines themselves, as well as to research in human and social sciences involving people with visual impairments.