The Story of Different Minds  ·  Fernald and the Menace of the Feeble-Minded

Institutional Research Ethics

Why institutionalised children were especially vulnerable to exploitation.

Power decides whether consent is real.

Simple version

Children and adults in institutions often had little power to refuse, complain or leave.

Why it matters

That made them vulnerable to research practices that would never have been accepted for more protected groups.

Awareverse lens

Awareverse keeps consent, dignity and power at the centre of safeguarding.

Question to ask

When looking at institutional research ethics, ask: who had power, who was being labelled, and what would have changed if the human being had been seen first?

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