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Open Inclusion is a disability and age inclusive research, design and innovation organisation, based in the UK, operating globally. For 10 years Open has worked with commercial, government and third sector organisations to help them better understand disability-informed perspectives so that they can create or improve their consumer, employee, citizen or community-oriented solutions. Our research is designed with, for and by disabled people.
In 2023 our team worked on 38 varied research projects with 25 clients. For example we,
• Worked with The Valuable 500 on a global project involving over 1,000 individuals (survey and focus groups) in 15 countries with diverse experiences of disability to better understand attitudes and experiences of disability representation in media, advertising and brand communications
• Helped a global tech provider understand the co-occurring needs and varying complexities of people at different stages of Huntington’s Disease (UK/USA) through video diary study. Explored individual’s access needs, preferences, use and enjoyment of digital tablets.
• Helped a government agency understand the challenges of fluctuations in disability through a survey, diary study and depth interviews. Investigated how changing abilities may impact applicant experiences of government services
• Worked with Shaw Trust to better understand the experiences of UK university graduates (particularly those with sight loss and autism) when transitioning to work. Gathered a range of perspectives to identify addressable barriers and opportunities for successful transitions to employment for disabled graduates
• Conducted a bilingual (English/ASL) survey for an entrepreneurial start up in on-screen sign language interpretation. Co-designed and created the research with Deaf and bilingual researchers for cultural and linguistic suitability.
• Co-innovation support for global drinks brands in the US, EU and UK to consider and test ways to make drink packaging easier, safer and more enjoyable to carry, open and consume.
• Worked with banking and retail organisations including a national bank in the UK on multiple UX projects, a homewear retailer on a UK/EU project including kitchen and bathroom products, and a global retailer testing a new microsite for disability inclusive products.
Open is also a founding member and sponsors work being done by MRS Unlimited. This is the market research industry body working to ensure the sector is more inclusive of disability-informed talent, participation and perspectives so that the research we deliver and the people delivering it more accurately, completely and equitably reflect the world we live in.
Today’s mainstream research practices, tools and skills have an exclusion problem. This means standard research insights often miss many valuable and differentiated perspectives, including the 1 in 4 people in the diverse disability community. It is no wonder that across society we have an inclusion problem.
Research is a powerful enabler for change. Openly and more inclusively listening to disability-informed individuals generates increased understanding. Understanding enables better design and more inclusive and enjoyable solutions. These solutions are also more valuable, equitable and efficient for organisations to provide.
Open is proud to be a leader in this field and grow not just our own capabilities (we are always learning from our community, partners and clients) but also the awareness and skills across the sector.
In doing our work, fueled and informed by the fabulously diverse and active Open Insight Community and partner organisations locally and internationally, we have delivered hundreds of primary research projects for motivated clients with the intent and capability to deliver change. Through this work and the changes our clients have made as a result of it, we have positively informed and therefore impacted millions of customer, citizen and community experiences. In the process, we have paid hundreds of thousands of pounds directly back to our community as fair value for the time and care they take to helpfully and authentically describe their experiences.
It is simple,
1. To continue to develop leading practices and deliver high-quality disability and age-inclusive insights to motivated clients helping them to understand differentiated perspectives that will allow them to improve their products and services
2. To showcase to and share with the rest of the research sector, the value of
– employing researchers with under-represented backgrounds, specifically including disability
– building skills and approaches that make it more accessible, easier, fairer and more enjoyable for disabled people to participate in all forms of research
Together these approaches should help us reduce and in time remove the exclusion footprint that currently exists in most data and insights creating the exclusion-by-default starting point for many projects and products.
How people talk about disabled participant cohorts in research as “hard to reach”. The community isn’t hard to reach, the research sector just isn’t very practiced or skilled in engaging with the community in adaptive ways. Also the practice of expecting to pay less for disability focussed research and research participation (or even nothing at all). We pay our participants more than industry standards. These two things not surprisingly are linked!
Many. Everywhere. Across all sectors and channels we are exposed through our research to barriers and frictions that vary by individual, context and access needs, but quite consistently expose disabled people to more complex, costly, compromised or difficult experiences than those without disabilities. Most of these barriers are highly addressable once well understood.
Disability Power 100 profile information is self-submitted by the profile subject. Shaw Trust understands and respects that disability and impairment descriptors and language use varies from person to person. Shaw Trust assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or discrepancies in the content of this, or any other, profile page.