Project
Autism at Kingwood
This was a pioneering,6-year partnership exploring the intersection of autism and design, a field that was largely uncharted in 2010. Each year a new design brief was focussed; they ranged from workplace and garden design to the built environment and everyday activities.
Who it was for and with
Autism at Kingwood
Partners named in the project record
Autism at Kingood
Ted Powers the Monument Trust and Autism at Kingwood sponsored my PhD
Methods, as recorded
This is probably the HHCD’s first project exploring co-design methods with neurodivergent people who also had additional learning disabilities and limited speech. The process of designing with people for whom language isn’t the main means of communicating was fascinating. It was also a valuable opportunity to learn how to build trust and connect empathetically with individuals who experience the world very differently from the majority.
Legacy and impact
Six publications and a PhD dissertation. This body of research also paved the way for further projects in design and neurodivergence, in collaboration with organisations such as Paintings in Hospitals, St Andrews Healthcare, The hub, Believe in Us, Streests for Diversity ( Rees Jeffreys Road fund), Space in Mind and a scoping study for PAS 6463 ( British Standards Institution), among others.
Challenges the project faced
Mainly how to co-design with individuals with learning disabilties and limited verbal speech and the ethical consdierations of desiging with vulnerable indivduals