From passive receiver to active resource in the crisis management system

Research Project, 2021 – 2024

Crisis preparedness and crisis management affect all inhabitants of society. Therefore, it is important to meet individual needs in the work with social protection. People with disabilities are often overlooked as co-creators and actors both in the development of crisis and contingency plans and during acute crisis management. Finding methods for involving a variety of people in development work entails increased autonomy and equal conditions, which can also reduce the need for society's resources. The project develops methods, strategies and guidelines for how people with varying needs can be involved as active resources in society's crisis management. Experiences and knowledge of people with different types of disabilities can thus be utilized to prevent, manage and recover from serious incidents. A current area is to base the design of information and communication channels used in crises on user requirements for universal design.

The project's results will support the work towards a safer society for actors at municipal, regional, national and international level and be included in various types of education. The project is implemented with a user-centered research approach with theory and methodology from the human factors area and universal design. In active collaboration with various societal actors and people with disabilities, co-creative workshops and focus groups are conducted through co-creation and crowd-sourcing to result in innovative complementary solutions for the development of a crisis preparedness for all.