Informed consent Sampling method

language vitality. In this section, we will introduce these tools, describe our sampling method, and present our research questions.

3.1 Informed consent

Informed consent was gathered from each of our participants using a standardized form, included at the beginning of the sociolinguistic questionnaire. We made this form available in written English and Romanian, but in most cases we signed the information to participants. We included the following key information for each participant: • The goal of the study • Possible outcomes of the study • The role of the participant • That their participation was totally voluntary and that no compensation would be given • That they could choose to stop their participation at any time • That data they provided would be shared at the level they designated: only within the researcher’s organization, with strategic partners, or with the public • That their name would never be associated with the information, opinions, or other data they shared, and that their name would not be shared with anyone. We then obtained typed signatures for each participant that understood and agreed to the above information. See an example of this form in appendix A.

3.2 Sampling method

Sampling deaf communities is inherently difficult for the same reasons as identifying them, as discussed in the population section. Members of the deaf community are self-identifying, blend in well with the hearing community around them, and can be difficult to contact through email and internet. No two members of the deaf community are the same, and do not often congregate as much as spoken language minority groups, making traditional sampling methods ineffective. We rely instead on chain sampling and social networking to meet our research participants. Practically, this means visiting deaf associations and clubs, introducing ourselves, and gathering data from those present, then asking them to recommend places, organizations, or individuals who might be willing to participate in our research. It is common for one individual to lead us to several others in different cities. While we recognize that this is not the most statistically sound sampling method, we feel that it is appropriate for our broad information needs and time constraints.

3.3 Participant observation