The aim of this article is to consider the implications for research involving people with intellectual disability--a vulnerable group--of ethics committees' attempts to apply these guidelines. The issue explored is whether committees such as Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECS) and Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are becoming increasingly conservative in their decisions and approaches, with the potential to exclude at least some people with intellectual disability from research. In order to protect the right of people with intellectual disability to be included in research and to participate in the decision-making process, while guarding against exploitation or potential harm, the author suggests that the current protective practices of HRECs and ethics committees of disability organizations should be reframed in terms of respect for people with intellectual disability.