Accessibility and participatory design: time, power, and facilitation

ABSTRACT

This paper documents the goals, techniques, and outcomes of nine interventions designed to improve the accessibility of a design charette (DC). These interventions focused on Time, Power, and Facilitation and were developed based on critiques found in design literature, critical disability scholarship, and the lived expertise of disabled people. Data was collected through recording activities and outputs, recorded observations, and elicited feedback. We found that adjusting time, which is essential for access, was difficult and required trade-offs. We also suggest that the presence of a ‘vibes watch’ facilitation role to monitor participation frequency, emotional tone, and power dynamics can be useful to address uneven power relations, caucusing can also be valuable but should be used at specific moments. Non-neutral facilitation, anti-oppression training, and regular reflection can help facilitation/design teams identify and address exclusionary practices. Technology can aid but also constrain access. Finally, despite all interventions, access remains a site of friction and political choices. Stakeholders continue to participate in different and not always equally valued ways, so secondary analysis is useful for understanding charette products or outputs.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability
• accessibility
• design charette
• participatory design
• evaluation
• practicum education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council under Grant [number 435-2020-1198].