Values and Principles Guiding Our Research
Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services is committed to engaging in and enabling Community-Based Researchi (CBR) that contribute to helping diverse individuals and communities achieve health with dignity. In addition to complying with accepted ethical standards, any research conducted by or involving Access Alliance will strive to follow these principles:
Community Benefit
CBR is research conducted by and for community members in order to bring about positive social change. At Access Alliance, we are particularly interested in CBR to address health disparities. Therefore, community benefits may include improvements in service delivery, policy changes and/or greater empowerment of individuals and communities to gain control over the factors that affect their health and to take action to address them.
To increase the likelihood that the results will be of use to communities, we believe that the people whom the research is intended to benefit should have opportunities to be meaningfully engaged in all phases of the research effort. We are also committed to ensuring that any findings are shared with and made accessible to participants as well as to service providers and policy-makers who can use the findings to inform their decision-making.
Capacity-Building
Through the CBR process, it is possible to build sustainable capacities within communities for inquiry and transformation. We are committed to the meaningful participation of both staff and community members in designing, conducting, interpreting and applying research so that in the process, participants may build their knowledge, skills and sense of agency. We also support and encourage critical reflection and the documentation of lessons learned.
Collaboration and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion enrich our communities and agencies and improve the quality and relevance of research. We value collaborative learning and believe that every participant in the research process, whether a community member, agency staff or academic, has something unique to contribute. We invite community participation as early as possible in the CBR process and are committed to identifying and addressing the barriers that prevent meaningful community participation in all phases of the research. The language and methods used in the conduct of research must be broadly accessible to a diverse range of participants.
Equity and Dignity
We believe that every individual has the right to be treated with respect and dignity and that all people should have equitable opportunities and access to the determinants of health. We prioritize research that aims to reduce health disparities by furthering the understanding of and addressing the social determinants of health affecting the vulnerable populations with whom we work. In addition, we strive for CBR processes that are themselves free from oppression and discrimination.
