Designing Together

This article presents a six-step, inclusive research methodology that integrates sensory, artistic, and digital practices to foster cultural participation among people with learning disabilities. It also explores the development and application of a novel methodology for inclusive research in museums, co-created by Rix Inclusive Research and purpleSTARS. It situates this methodology within the broader traditions of inclusive research, participatory action research, and inclusive design, comparing it to approaches developed elsewhere in disability and museum studies. The approach is rooted in participatory art and technology workshops that adopt a Montessori-inspired, open-ended structure, encouraging co-researchers with learning differences and disabilities (LDDs) to shape both the process and the outcomes of the research. We argue that the value lies in both the co-creation of (often) personalized sensory experiences and in developing inclusive research as a creative, evolving practice that emphasizes agency and sensory engagement. The UK Research and Innovation funded the Museum Association’s Mindsets + Missions program called Newid Byd | Something New project, a collaboration between Amgueddfa Cymru | Museum of Wales and the Welsh Charity Innovate Trust. In this project we had the opportunity to test and demonstrate how our six-step methodology supports agency, accessibility, and novel forms of cultural participation. By comparing this methodology with other inclusive research frameworks, we highlight its distinctive contributions, challenges, and implications for policy and practice in museums by demonstrating how museums can embed inclusive research as both a process and institutional practice. We demonstrate how embedding inclusive research within museums can generate lasting institutional change and broaden cultural participation.