Case Study: Hey! Hear Me Out

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This case study demonstrates:

• A shift from research for to research with

• How cultural leadership reshaped the research process

• Why early involvement matters

• What shared decision-making looks like in practice

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Focus: Deaf and Hard of Hearing First Nations communities

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Led by: Jody Barney and Dr Alexandra Devine

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This initiative focuses on co-designing research and resources to support Deaf and Hard of Hearing First Nations people. Initially, the project took a consultation-based approach (research for), with limited involvement of lived experience in the early stages.

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As the project progressed, it shifted into a fully co-designed, community-led initiative (research with). This transition was made possible by its growing commitment to cultural authority, accessibility, and leadership by First Nations Deaf communities.

 

Background

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Jody Barney, a Deaf Aboriginal woman with extensive experience in advocacy, cultural consultancy, and community engagement, brought deep cultural insight, lived experience, and trusted relationships to the project. Her involvement was essential in guiding the transition to genuine co-design.

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Alexandra Devine, a researcher with a background in public health and social policy, supported this shift through reflective practice and a commitment to power-sharing.

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Putting co-design into action

 

Initial engagement with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Aboriginal community was limited to consultation rather than collaboration. This reflects a ‘research for’ approach, where lived experience informed but did not shape direction or outcomes.

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Jody Barney was brought in only after key decisions about the project had already been made.

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Through structured reflection between team members and culturally grounded yarning sessions with community, the project began to shift. These conversations created space for honesty about earlier missteps and allowed community voices to lead future priorities. This process laid the foundation for shared decision-making and a deeper focus on cultural leadership.

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In the final phase, Jody led the process, shaping priorities, engagement, and research design. This resulted in more relevant, culturally grounded outcomes and stronger community relationships.

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The approach laid the foundation for the Bina Gurri Project, a direct outcome of the learning and relationships built through this work. Led entirely by the Deaf Indigenous Community Consultancy, it marked a full transition to community-led research.

 

Practical insights

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• The process didn’t start with community leadership, but through reflection and conversation, it moved in that direction and created stronger outcomes.

• Cultural protocols and flexible timelines were essential for building trust and keeping things on track.

• Sharing power meant rethinking who leads, who decides, and who benefits.

 

Case Study: Summer Foundation Co-Design Projects

 

This case study shows:

• How co-design can be embedded across multiple stages of a project

• The value of co-developing research tools and evaluation frameworks

• What research with looks like in resource development and systems change

• How lived experience groups can guide both strategy and implementation

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Focus: Housing and support for people with disability

Led by: The Summer Foundation

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About the Summer Foundation

 

The Summer Foundation is an organisation dedicated to improving housing and support options for people with disability, particularly young people living in or at risk of entering aged care. Their approach is grounded in partnership with people who have lived experience of disability. This ensures that their insights are central to research, policy, and practice.

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Putting co-design into action

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The Summer Foundation has embedded co-design across multiple areas of its work, demonstrating how systems and structures can support ongoing collaboration and shared leadership. They provide a strong example of ‘research with’ in practice.

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In one PhD research project, a lived experience reference group was involved from the outset. They co-developed the research questions, informed participant recruitment strategies, and helped shape the analysis and communication of findings. This approach ensured that people with lived experience weren’t just consulted but were active collaborators in the direction and design of the work.

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In a separate project focused on Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) resources, NDIS participants, providers, and supporters were involved in co-designing practical tools and materials. The team also co-created the evaluation framework, ensuring that lived experience informed not just the tools themselves, but how success was defined and measured.

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These projects illustrate how co-design can be meaningfully integrated into both research and resource development, leading to outputs that are more usable, more relevant, and more likely to create real-world change.

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Reflections from practice

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• Bringing people in early helped build trust and buy-in and shaped a plan that worked for more people.

• Building a space for reflection from the beginning helped clarify impact and made the findings stronger.

• Staying flexible meant the team could respond to different access needs and strengthen the outcomes along the way.

 

Co-design is a practical way of putting the NDRP Principles into action. In particular, our commitment to valuing lived experience, strengthening disability research capacity, and supporting research that makes a real difference in people’s lives.

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Find out more about the NDRP Principles.

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Back to the Co-design resources page.