Aim
The overall aim of the project is to explore how the experiences gained from the Covid-19 pandemic can contribute to improve the conditions for people with various forms of disabilities to participate in and contribute to working life. The short-term and potential long-term effects and consequences of working from home in remote settings will be explored, and what new meanings in terms of social participation, and conditions for participation that have arisen. Through the project new knowledge will be gained about how people with disabilities have experienced their working life during the Covid-19 pandemic, and what tools and strategies they have used to achieve social participation.
Stakeholders
The primary stakeholders of the project are people with various forms of disabilities, including their families. The secondary stakeholders are authorities, civil society organisations, and employers who are part of creating conditions for this group to partake in and contribute to working life. The research will be conducted in collaboration with a stakeholder network, which will be associated with the project throughout the project period.
Research approach
The project assumes a participatory research approach (Skjeldal, 2021) and a design research approach (Koskinen et al., 2012) and builds on a collaboration with a network of stakeholders. Assuming a design research approach implies that prototyping and design activities are part of the iterative research process. Here, manifested by inviting our stakeholders to be part of an exploratory collaborative (co-)design process, where new knowledge is generated through various design-oriented activities in workshop settings.
Research and design process
The research and design process consists of three exploratory phases (Discover, Define, Develop), and one concluding phase (Deliver) where the outcome is evaluated and reflected upon. The phases are structured in line with the Diamond Double design process model.
Phase I: Discover
The aim of this phase is to through empirical research and literature studies build an understanding of the current state of the field, and experiences gained from the Covid-19 pandemic of both positive and negative kinds. The data will be gathered through interviews with our stakeholders and by inviting them to workshops where we share experiences by running various design-oriented activities.
A comprehensive literature review on related international research is also conducted.
Phase II: Define
The aim of this phase is to analyse the findings generated in phase I and to identify specific problems/challenges and opportunities that are of relevance to explore (to be formulated as design opportunity statements). The topics of relevance are prioritised in collaboration with our stakeholders.
Phase III: Develop
The aim of this phase is to explore the prioritized design opportunities together with the stakeholders through various design-oriented activities in workshop settings. The collaborative explorations will both generate new knowledge about and proposals for how working life for people with disabilities can be organised and facilitated.
Phase IV: Deliver
The aim of this phase is to evaluate the proposals for how working life for people with disabilities can be organised and facilitated and reflect upon and summarise the results presented in the phases I–III.
The evaluation of the proposals are done in collaboration with our stakeholders. Beside new knowledge and proposals, the final outcome of the project is a publication presenting inspiring examples, case descriptions of how working life may be organised to increase people with various forms of disabilities opportunities to participate on equal terms. The publication will be distributed to our network of stakeholders, but also to authorities, civil society organisations and employers who are involved in creating conditions for this group to partake in and contribute to working life.
For a timeline of the research and design phases and project activities, see the Timeline.
References
Grönvik, L. (2016). Intersektionalitet och statistik (s.159-190) i Söder, M., Hugmark, A. (red.). (2016). Bara funktionshindrad? Funktionshinder och intersektionalitet. Malmö: Gleerups.
Lindberg, L. (2016). Forskningen som haltar: svensk forskning om funktionshinder. Stockholm: Hörselskadades Riksförbund
(HRF).
Koskinen, I., Zimmerman, J., Binder, T., Redstrom, J., Wensveen, S. (2011). Design Research Through Practice: From the Lab, Field, and Showroom. New York, US: Elsevier.
Rice, C., Harrison, E., Friedman, M. (2019). Doing Justice to Intersectionality in Research. Cultural Studies – Critical Methodologies, 19(6), 409-420.
Simonsen, J., Robertson, T. (2013). The Routledge Handbook of Participatory Design. New York, NY: Routledge.
Skjeldal, E. (red.). (2021). Kritiske perspektiver på brukermedvirkning. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget AS.
Tideman, M., Lövgren, V., Malmqvist, J. (2020). Övergången från ung till vuxen för personer med funktionsnedsättning – en kartläggning av det vetenskapliga kunskapsläget. Stockholm: Forskningsrådet för hälsa, arbetsliv och välfärd.
United Nations (UN) (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Optional Protocol.
Last Updated on 2022-03-03