ABOUT
This collaborative group project, consisting of six members, was undertaken in partnership with the Voluntary Sector in Scotland, specifically with GCVS and THRE. Our brief was to investigate the unmet needs related to human rights and equality for individuals working in the third sector.
Through interviews with voluntary organizations and stakeholders, we identified challenges and designed an intervention to advocate for the representation of marginalized groups, focusing on making the voluntary sector more disable friendly, and promote reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
INFO
Glasgow School of Art, Stage 2 Project
Duration- 3 Months
Group 6- Aarti, Alizeh, Daniel, Shaw, Rui and Jiarong
ROLE
GUIDE
I found myself in the role of the Guide, directing the project at times. This experience allowed me to refine my leadership skills as I navigated challenges and ensured progress.
COLLABORATOR
As the Collaborator, I effectively communicated ideas, information, and feedback to fellow group members, aiming to harmonize everyone's perspectives despite language barriers.
STRATEGIST
I had to develop and execute effective strategies for achieving project goals, leveraging on group member’s strengths.
IMPACT
This intervention would help create a safe space for people to share their lived experiences, opens doors for representation from other marginalized groups, serving as a catalyst for broader inclusion efforts and Combines organizations resources for capacity building.
After presenting this presentation to GCVS and THRE, they were interested to incorporate these interventions into their work. They were also interested to use our the insights collected during our primary research phase to better the services.
Research Methodology
I led the Research highlighted the lack of inclusion and diversity in leadership roles in the third sector. There was also lack of reasonable adjustments and the knowledge of the social model of disability.
Analysis & Synthesis
During the analysis phase, I synthesized data using various methods to identify opportunities for design intervention. Collaborating with my team, we developed a service blueprint, which proved instrumental in refining both the challenge and our proposed solution.
CHALLENGE
People with disabilities are often type casted into roles according to their disabilities. There is also stigma around disability which affects employment and disclosure. Many disabled CEOs often hide their impairments to avoid getting judged. Also, there is lack of reasonable adjustments in the workplace hindering employability. Language as a touchpoint was also mentioned time and again throught our research. Below are some opportunities that I identified from our Insights collected at various stages.
RESEARCH QUESTION
'How can voluntary organizations, in collaboration with THRE, effectively advocate for and implement accessibility and inclusive training programs within the third sector, utilizing the social model of disability and other inclusive frameworks, to empower marginalized group’s and advocate for more representation in leadership roles?'
