“Moving sands of power?” – power dynamics in co-design practices with older adults
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Abstract
Participatory approaches, such as co-design, aim to include diverse groups of older people in decision-making. Yet, such approaches can be limited by established power dynamics. To explore how those power dynamics can unfold and be enacted in co-design with older adults, we draw on 11 thematically analysed, semi-structured expert interviews with Australian co-design facilitators. Australia’s specific policies on co-design and disability, along with its settler-colonial history, make it a valuable case study for investigating power relations and intersectionality. Findings show how power in co-design moves within three identified main themes: (1) (lack of) control over recruitment; (2) Constraining power dynamics; and (3) structural obstruction of inclusion. Implications for design and policy are discussed herein.
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