Co-designing future working life for people with disabilities. Learning from experiences gained during the Covid-19 pandemic. Oral presentation at the NNDR 16th Research Conference (Nordic Network on Disability Research, 10-12 May in Reykjavik, Iceland. https://nndr2023.is

• The multidisciplinary research project “Working life during Covid-19 pandemic: social participation, learning experiences, design opportunities and future work life for people with disabilities” aims to explore how experiences gained from the Covid-19 pandemic can improve the conditions for people with various forms of disabilities to participate in and contribute to working life. The project builds on a collaboration with a network of stakeholders from organisations representing people with disabilities and assumes a participatory research and design research approach where prototyping and design activities are part of the iterative research process. This is 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. The research and design process consists of three exploratory phases (Discover, Define, Develop), and one concluding phase (Deliver). In this presentation, we will present insights gained from the first two phases of the design and research process. 23 people with various disabilities (motor, visual, hearing, neuropsychiatric impairments) were interviewed about their working life. Based on the interviews, we developed an understanding of what strategies they used to adapt to the pandemic situation, and how they handled stressful situations. The participants were also asked to describe and document their workplaces, a typical working day, and what role tools and technologies played in achieving or preventing full participation in working life. By analysing their individuals' stories, different strategies for coping with the situation were identified, and which of these strategies have proven to be more or less successful to apply in working life. These insights may contribute to designing work conditions for people with disabilities to partake in future working life, which is characterised by inclusion and social participation on equal terms.

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Sociologi -- Socialt arbete (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Sociology -- Social Work (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Covid-19 pandemic

working life

disabilities

design-oriented activities

coping strategies

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)