Process

Co-Design with Disabled Users: Principles and Practice

By EZUD Published · Updated

Co-Design with Disabled Users: Principles and Practice

Co-design shifts disabled people from the role of research subject to the role of design partner. Rather than designing for people with disabilities and then testing with them, co-design involves disabled people in defining problems, generating ideas, creating prototypes, and evaluating solutions. It is the practical application of the disability rights principle: nothing about us without us.

Why Co-Design Matters

Traditional user-centered design includes disabled people at the testing stage, if at all. By that point, fundamental decisions about information architecture, interaction patterns, and visual design have already been made. Co-design involves disabled people from the beginning, when their input can shape the direction of the product rather than merely validate it.

Benefits include:

  • Better solutions. People who navigate accessibility barriers daily have insights that non-disabled designers cannot generate independently.
  • Fewer late-stage surprises. When disabled users contribute to design decisions, the resulting product is more likely to be accessible without extensive remediation.
  • Stronger relationships. Co-design builds trust with the disability community, which supports ongoing user testing and feedback.
  • Innovation. Constraints drive creativity. Designing with and for disabled people often produces solutions that benefit everyone (curb cuts, voice assistants, captions).

Core Principles

Power sharing

Co-design requires genuine power sharing. Disabled participants must have real influence over design decisions, not just a seat at the table where decisions are made by others. This means:

  • Disabled participants can propose ideas, not just react to ideas presented by designers.
  • Their input is weighted equally with (or more heavily than) other design inputs.
  • They are informed about how their contributions influenced the final design.

Accessibility of the process itself

A co-design process that is itself inaccessible undermines its purpose. Ensure:

  • Meeting spaces are physically accessible.
  • Materials are available in multiple formats (digital, large print, screen-reader-compatible).
  • Communication methods accommodate deaf participants (captioning, sign language interpreters), blind participants (described visuals), and participants with cognitive disabilities (plain language, extra processing time).
  • Remote participation is available for people who cannot travel.

Fair compensation

Co-design participants are contributing professional expertise. Compensate them accordingly, at rates comparable to or higher than consultant fees, not at token gift card levels. The Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University recommends compensation that reflects the specialized knowledge participants bring.

Ongoing relationship, not one-time extraction

Co-design is not a single workshop. Build ongoing relationships with disabled participants who can be consulted across multiple design cycles. This requires trust, consistency, and follow-through on commitments made during co-design sessions.

Practical Methods

Co-design workshops

Facilitated sessions where disabled participants and design team members work together on specific design challenges. See inclusive design workshop facilitation for how to run these sessions accessibly.

Structure workshops around:

  1. Framing the design challenge collaboratively
  2. Generating ideas individually and in small groups
  3. Prototyping concepts using accessible tools (paper, digital, verbal description)
  4. Critiquing and refining concepts together

Design critiques with disabled reviewers

Invite disabled designers or accessibility experts to participate in regular design reviews. Their critique focuses not only on WCAG compliance but on the lived experience of using the design with assistive technology.

Participatory prototyping

Build prototypes collaboratively with disabled participants. Use tools that accommodate different abilities: verbal descriptions for blind participants, simplified digital tools for participants with motor disabilities, and physical prototyping materials for those who prefer tangible interaction.

Advisory panels

Maintain an ongoing advisory panel of disabled people who review designs, provide feedback on accessibility strategy, and advise on research priorities. Panel members should be compensated for their time.

Common Pitfalls

  • Tokenism. Inviting one disabled person to a room of twenty non-disabled designers is not co-design. Aim for meaningful representation.
  • Ignoring input. If disabled participants’ recommendations are consistently overridden without explanation, the process is extractive, not collaborative.
  • Assuming homogeneity. One blind user cannot represent all blind users. Recruit across disabilities, assistive technologies, ages, and backgrounds. See inclusive personas for why diversity within disability matters.
  • Inaccessible materials. Presenting wireframes as flat images to a screen reader user who cannot perceive them. Provide accessible alternatives for every material.

Integrating Co-Design into Your Process

Co-design does not replace the full inclusive design process. It enhances the discovery, design, and testing stages:

  • In discovery: co-design helps define problems and priorities.
  • In design: co-design generates and evaluates solutions.
  • In testing: co-design participants provide informed, contextual feedback.

Start small. Run one co-design session for an upcoming feature. Evaluate what worked and what did not. Build from there.

Key Takeaways

  • Co-design involves disabled people as design partners, not just test subjects.
  • Genuine power sharing, accessible processes, and fair compensation are non-negotiable.
  • Methods include workshops, design critiques, participatory prototyping, and advisory panels.
  • Avoid tokenism by recruiting diverse disabled participants and acting on their input.
  • Start with one co-design session and expand based on what you learn.

Sources

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Inclusive Design Process Guide: Building Accessibility Into Every Stage Guide Continuous Accessibility Monitoring Accessibility in Design Reviews Nothing About Us Without Us: The Principle That Shapes Inclusive Design

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