Co-design in the context of universal design: An Australian case study exploring the role of people with disabilities in the design of public buildings

AbstractUniversal design aims to maximise usability for all, and to achieve this participation of people with disabilities in design processes is essential. However, it is unknown how universal design and co-design, as a means of participatory design, can be applied to the architectural design of public buildings. This study aimed to explore stakeholder perceptions and experiences on this topic. As a qualitative study, three workshops were held with 26 people with disabilities, advocates, and design professionals. A phenomenological approach to data analysis was employed. Four major themes emerged: there are challenges to practicing co-design; co-design is inclusive, accessible, and genuine; co-design is planned and embedded in all design stages; and co-design delivers positive outcomes. Findings strongly support participation of people with disabilities in architectural design, highlight challenges and limitations to current practice, and provide insight into factors that optimise outcomes and the experiences of those involved.Keywords: Co-designuniversal designdisabilityarchitecturepublic buildingsparticipatory design AcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank all the individuals who generously gave their time and expertise to participate in workshops for this research project.Ethics statementThis study received ethics approval from Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee (DUHREC) (Project ID: 2019-023). All data were collected, analysed, and stored in accordance with ethical guidelines for research involving human participants and all people who contributed to this study provided informed consent to participate.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).