Participant-led research

A research methodology in which participants — particularly those from marginalized or underrepresented groups — take an active role in directing the research process, shaping study protocols, and determining what aspects of a system or experience are most important to investigate. In accessibility research, participant-led approaches are especially valuable for working with people with cognitive and communication disabilities, as they allow participants to guide exploration in ways that surface insights traditional researcher-directed protocols might miss. This approach shifts power dynamics by recognizing participants as experts in their own experience.