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118 CHAPTER 5 Surveys

impairment are using computer technology. No baseline data exists, no estimate on
the population size exists, no previous research exists, so all of the issues related to
random sampling are really not appropriate. The goal of such a survey would be to
establish the baseline data. In a case like this, the goal should be to simply get as
large a response as possible. See the Computer Usage Patterns of People with Down
Syndrome sidebar to see an example of where surveys were used to explore how
young adults with Down Syndrome use computer technology.

COMPUTER USAGE PATTERNS OF PEOPLE WITH DOWN SYNDROME
When our team decided to pursue research about computer usage by people
with Down syndrome in the mid-2000s, a search of multiple digital libraries and
databases resulted in the determination that no research studies existed at that
time, which examined how individuals with Down syndrome use computers and
the Internet.
Only one design case study, where a website was being built to assist
children with Down syndrome in learning about computers, was known to
exist and be moving toward publication (Kirijian et al., 2007). Therefore, a
survey methodology was the most appropriate approach, as a starting point for
investigating the topic. We developed a large-scale survey, simply to gather
baseline data about this user population. A 56-question survey was developed,
covering demographic information, usage patterns, interaction techniques, and
use of other electronic devices. Because it could be challenging to get accurate
survey data from young adults with Down syndrome, it was decided that
parents of children with Down syndrome would be recruited to respond to the
survey.
The survey was placed on the web using survey monkey (a web-based tool),
and responses were solicited through two organizations in the United States: the
National Down Syndrome Congress and the National Down Syndrome Society.
A total of 561 surveys were collected, which provides a rich foundation of data
on which other studies and research projects can be built (Feng et al., 2008).

In communities where limited research has been done in the past, it may be chal-
lenging to find and recruit individuals to take part in the survey. There may be a lack
of knowledge on the part of researchers, individuals may be reluctant to participate,
or there might even be existing distrust.
Sometimes, snowball sampling can assist with getting survey responses. Snowball
sampling is when individuals may not only respond to a survey, but also recruit
someone else (usually a friend or colleague) to take part in the survey (Sue and
Ritter, 2007). In a way, the role of contacting and recruiting participants shifts from
the researchers to the survey respondents themselves. This method may work well
when the population of interest is very small and hard to “break into,” and individu-
als in the population of interest may know each other well. An outside researcher,
coming into a community of individuals, may not have a high level of credibility, but