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This is a consent form for participation in a University of Maryland, Baltimore County research project. It contains important information about this study and what to expect if you decide to participate.  Please consider the information carefully. Feel free to ask questions before making your decision on whether or not to participate. Your participation in this research study is voluntary. 
 
PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH:  
The purpose of this study is to understand your opinions and experiences when accessing digital healthcare services such as patient portals, mobile healthcare apps, and assistive technologies. A maximum of 500 people will be invited to participate.  
 
PROCEDURES: 
As a participant in this study, you will be asked to complete a survey that will take less than 15 minutes to complete. You will not be required to provide personally identifiable information through the survey instrument but will have the option to provide your email address if you would be interested in participating in a follow-up telephone or video chat interview. You are being asked to volunteer because we are trying to understand the experiences with digital healthcare services among adults with disabilities. Your involvement in this study will begin when you agree to participate and will continue until you complete the survey.
 
VOLUNTARY PARTICIPATION:
Your participation in this research study is voluntary and you are free to withdraw or discontinue participation at any time. If you withdraw from this research study,  you will not be penalized in any way for deciding to stop participating.  The data collected for this study will be retained by the investigator for the length of the research and analyzed even if you choose to withdraw from the research. If you do choose to withdraw, the investigator may use your information up to the time you decide to withdraw. 
 
RISKS AND BENEFITS OF BEING IN THE STUDY:
The study involves the following foreseeable risks: While the research team will make every effort to keep your personal information confidential, it is possible that an unauthorized person might see it. We cannot guarantee total privacy.  
 
The benefits of participation are: There are no direct benefits from participation in the study. However, this study may ultimately help improve the accessibility of digital healthcare applications for individuals with disabilities.
 
COMPENSATION/COSTS: 
Your participation in this study will involve no cost to you. There is also no compensation for your participation.  
 
CONFIDENTIALITY: 
Any information learned and collected from this study in which you might be identified will remain confidential and will be disclosed ONLY if you give permission. The investigator(s) will work to keep your personal information confidential. To help protect your confidentiality, researchers will follow the protocol for file storage of human subjects' research records so that your confidentiality can be protected. The researchers will store all such records on an encrypted and password-protected hard disk drive.
 
Only the investigator and members of the research team will have access to these records. If information learned from this study is published, you will not be identified by name.  By signing this form, however, you allow the research study investigator to make your records available to the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) Institutional Review Board (IRB) and regulatory agencies as required to do so by law. 
 
Consenting to participate in this research also indicates your agreement that all information collected from you individually may be used by current and future researchers in such a fashion that your personal identity will be protected. Such use will include presentations at scientific or professional meetings, publishing in scientific journals, and sharing anonymous information with other researchers for checking the accuracy of study findings and for future approved research that has the potential for improving human knowledge. 
 
CONTACTS AND QUESTIONS: 
The principal investigator(s), Parijat Saxena and Vineela Matta can answer any and all questions regarding your participation in this research study.  If you have any further questions, you can contact Parijat Saxena at (443-929-6529, psaxena1@umbc.edu) or Vineela Matta at (667-351-7864, an53096@umbc.edu). 
 
If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this research study, you can contact the Office of Research Protections and Compliance at (410) 455-2737 or compliance@umbc.edu. All reports or correspondence will be kept confidential.