Anchoring and transcendence: PD as an 'enabler' in quality of life
Abstract
This paper links the concept of transcendence in participatory design with the discourse on quality of life and secondary gains. Secondary gains occur when a person with a disability reinterprets the disturbed balance between body, mind and spirit in their life and finds an enriched meaning secondary to the condition brought on by the disability. This re-interpretation can lead to an improvement of their perceived quality of life. This paper suggests that involving a person with a disability in a participatory design process might lead to transcendence, potentially resulting in acquiring secondary gains. We explored Bespoke Design, a participatory design project working with adults with type 1 diabetes in the creation of bespoke self-management tools. Evaluating the participatory design methods on the integration of anchoring elements and those of transcendence and how the interplay between those two elements lead to secondary gains, is central in our analysis.
