Frequently Asked Questions

• The Equipped to Engage Toolkit is a set of tools that can support researchers with and without intellectual disability to work together on a research study.
• Any team that includes community research partners might find the toolkit useful. The tools explain research words and tasks and use accessible language. Teams can select tools that will support their research team.

You can find tools in 3 ways:

1. Click on Tools by Research Stage to see a list of tools organized by if they help research teams Plan, Do, and Share research.
2. Click on Tools by PCORI’s Foundational Expectations to see a list of tools organized by PCORI’s Foundational Expectations for Partnerships in Research.
3. Open [insert link] to see a list of all the tools. You can access all the tools directly at [insert link]

• The toolkit is for research teams that include researchers with and without intellectual disability.
• The tools in the toolkit may also help other research with members who benefit from easy to read materials that include visuals materials and having complex activities broken down into smaller steps.

• A team of researchers with and without intellectual disability developed the toolkit. Learn about our team here.

• Teams doing any type of research can use the Equipped to Engage Toolkit. Pick the tools that fit your research project.

• No! The tools can be used by any team to support engagement in research. Any team that includes individuals new to doing research or who may have cognitive accessibility support needs may benefit from using the toolkit. The tools use simple language, incorporate visuals, and break down complex tasks into small steps.
• Researchers who are new to community-engaged research may review the tools to learn more about practical tools that support community-engaged research.

• The Equipped to Engage Toolkit is free to use. 

• No. You do not need special permission to use the tools. Please cite the toolkit when you use it. 

• Schwartz, A. & McDonald, K. (2025). The Equipped to Engage Toolkit. University of New Hampshire. Syracuse University. Iod.edunh.edu/equipped-engage 

• No. You can choose the tools that are helpful for where you are in your project and for the type of things you need to do for your project. 

• Yes. The tools are meant to be adapted to meet a research team’s specific needs.  If you use the tools, please let people know that you got them from the Equipped to Engage Toolkit. You can cite: Schwartz, A. & McDonald, K. (2025). The Equipped to Engage Toolkit. University of New Hampshire. Syracuse University. Iod.edunh.edu/equipped-engage 

• You can make any adaptations that you think will work for your team, research question, and/or research context. Example adaptations may include:
  • Formatting to increase visual access (font size, spacing, etc.)
  • Adding examples, descriptions, or images relevant to your team, research question, and/or research context.
  • Removing parts of the tools that your team will not use.
  • Changing definitions or images to align with your team’s other materials.
  • Breaking tools into multiple parts.

• Instruction versions include extra explanations for project leaders and examples. These are great for project leaders to review the first time you are using a tool.
• Ready-to-use versions are ready to be filled out by the team.  They do not include extra explanations for project leaders and examples. 

• Yes. The tools can be used virtually or in-person. Some tools may need to be adapted to meet the needs of a specific research team and the way you do research together (like formatting them for an online presentation).

• No. The tools are designed to support people with different levels of research experience.

• Yes. We welcome feedback to help improve the toolkit. Please click here to share your feedback.

• Right now, we aren‘t able to add additional resources to the website. However, we might in the future. Please share information about your resource here, and we will get in touch with you.