The Lived Experience Project
Explore the journey of creating a robust knowledge infrastructure to enhance the livelihoods of persons with disabilities through the Lived Experience Project.
In today’s rapidly evolving landscape of social empowerment and inclusion, projects aimed at harnessing collective experiences for positive change stand out as beacons of hope. One such initiative that I had the privilege to be a part of was the Lived Experience Project, spearheaded by Enable India in collaboration with Design Beku. This project was a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in fostering inclusive communities.
The OLM initiative sought to establish a robust knowledge infrastructure centered around the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities. It aimed to create an open platform, accessible to all, where stakeholders could share insights, resources, and solutions to enhance the livelihoods of persons with disabilities.
My journey with the initiative began with the facilitation of a workshop for Disability NGO Alliance Coordinators (GSC) across Karnataka. During this workshop, we delved into the challenges and experiences faced by these coordinators in their efforts to support persons with disabilities. Through collaborative discussions and brainstorming sessions, we developed a metadata schema based on their inputs, laying the foundation for the OLM repository.
A pivotal aspect of the project involved the development of a Notion-based website to host the OLM database. This platform served as a centralized hub for storing and sharing valuable insights gathered from the field. Furthermore, we seamlessly integrated the website with Enable India’s support WhatsApp bot, ensuring wider accessibility and reach within the network.
Over the course of the project’s one-year pilot phase, we achieved significant milestones. Key deliverables included the establishment of the Asset Library, creation of the GSC Starter-Kit, analysis of pre and post-COVID experiences of different GSCs, and development of a Service Design Layer toolkit.
