Designing led by disabled people: exploring the barriers and enablers to effective co-production in the area of disability-related design at University of Dundee on FindAPhD.com

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Dr T Mladenov, Prof G Pullin No more applications being accepted Self-Funded PhD Students Only

Dundee United Kingdom Epidemiology Health Informatics Architecture, Building & Planning Creative Arts & Design Politics & Government Rural Planning Social Work

About the Project

The aim of this project will be to investigate the barriers and enablers to effective co-production in the area of disability-related design. More specifically, the project will explore:

• the social and political features of user-led design, with an emphasis on democratisation of design;

• the potential of co-produced design solutions to transform existing relations of power in the area of design and disability support;

• the embodied dimension of co-produced design solutions, with an emphasis on the social construction of the body in disability design;

• and the potential of user-led design to facilitate disabled people’s independent living.

Methodologically, the project will utilise document-based research, qualitative interviews with disabled people and professionals involved in disability design (architects, internal designers, prosthetists, prosthetic technicians), and development of case studies of co-produced design solutions.

Theoretically, the project will draw on disability studies, design studies, sociology of the body, social movement studies, and science and technology studies. Students with interests and experience in any of these disciplines are welcome to apply.

The project will be based in the School of Education & Social Work, University of Dundee, and will be associated with ‘Studio Ordinary’, the interdisciplinary studio in DJCAD, University of Dundee, that is the meeting point of design research and disability studies. Both supervisors are founding members. The studio so far includes members of the Schools of Art & Design, Education & Social Work, and Humanities.

Dr Teodor Mladenov research profile: https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/persons/teodor-mladenov

Professor Graham Pullin research profile: https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/persons/graham-pullin

For informal enquiries about the project, contact Dr Teodor Mladenov ([Email Address Removed])

For general enquiries about the University of Dundee, contact [Email Address Removed]

Our research community thrives on the diversity of students and staff which helps to make the University of Dundee a UK university of choice for postgraduate research. We welcome applications from all talented individuals and are committed to widening access to those who have the ability and potential to benefit from higher education.

QUALIFICATIONS

Applicants must have obtained, or expect to obtain, a first or 2.1 UK honours degree, or equivalent for degrees obtained outside the UK in a relevant discipline.

English language requirement: IELTS (Academic) score must be at least 6.5 (with not less than 5.5 in each of the four components). Other, equivalent qualifications will be accepted. Full details of the University’s English language requirements are available online: www.dundee.ac.uk/guides/english-language-requirements.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Step 1: Email Dr Teodor Mladenov ([Email Address Removed]) to (1) send a copy of your CV and (2) discuss your potential application and any practicalities (e.g. suitable start date).

Step 2: After discussion with Dr Mladenov, formal applications can be made via our direct application system. When applying, please follow the instructions below:

Apply for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Social Work: ESWCE : Study : University of Dundee

Please select the study mode (full-time/part-time) and start date agreed with the lead supervisor.

In the Research Proposal section, please:

- Enter the lead supervisor’s name in the ‘proposed supervisor’ box

- Enter the project title listed at the top of this page in the ‘proposed project title’ box

In the ‘personal statement’ section, please outline your suitability for the project selected.

Funding Notes

There is no funding attached to this project. The successful applicant will be expected to provide the funding for tuition fees and living expenses, via external sponsorship or self-funding.

References

At the heart of the project will be the potential of user-led initiatives of disabled people to shed new light on conventional design processes and outcomes, as well as to change mainstream design. Centres for Independent Living – organisations controlled and run by disabled people to enable disabled people to (re)gain control over their support – will be considered as incipient laboratories of user-led disability design. The project will seek collaboration with the Glasgow and Lothian Centres for Inclusive Living in Scotland.

Elder-Woodward, Jim. 2016. Disabled people’s Independent Living Movement in Scotland: a time for reflection. Ethics and Social Welfare 10(3): 252-266.

Mladenov, Teodor. 2012. Personal assistance for disabled people and the understanding of human being. Critical Social Policy 32(2): 242-261.

The project will analyse different aspects of design being user-led. Ezio Manzini’s (pejorative) notion of ‘Post-It design’ will challenge a simplistic interpretation of what it means to be user-led. As an extreme health-related case study, the unexpectedly open architectural briefs for Maggie’s Centres will be studied. Between the two, University of Dundee projects such as Hands of X have explored the middle ground.

Cook, Andrew, and Graham Pullin. 2020. Fashion and participation in Hands of X. In Crafting Anatomies, edited by Rhian Solomon et al. London: Bloomsbury.

Manzini, Ezio and Rachel Coad. 2015. Design, When Everybody Designs: An Introduction to Design for Social Innovation. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Where will I study?

University of Dundee

The University of Dundee brings together some of the best researchers in the world, developing ideas that positively impact the physical, social and psychological wellbeing of people and their communities, the economy, and the environment.