Research for the disabled : action, participation and inclusive approaches

While an inclusive society and equal opportunity for all have been more recognised and promoted in society in recent years, disabled people still face a lot of difficulties and some certain degree of exclusion in their daily lives. Thus, the need of research for disabled people should be more urged in academic and professional fields. Borrowing a case study in Chinese chess, a team of researchers and designers in Hong Kong adopted action, participatory and inclusive approaches in an applied research project. The project aimed to explore how to facilitate visually impaired people to have a better quality of leisure, social and cultural life. This paper first introduces the aims and objectives of the project. Borrowing the research findings and experience of the project, this paper discusses how the action, participatory and inclusive approaches should be considered together in the research for disabled. This paper aims at not only a report of a particular case study, but more to arouse the awareness of researchers a new and important trend in research that disabled people (i.e., users) must be not only considered, but also invited to participate in research actively in order to bring real benefit to the disabled people, and in turn also to bring an inclusive and harmonious society overall.