Abstract
This article examines how co-creation reshapes roles, power relations, and material practices in the design of tactile learning resources for visually impaired children (VIC). Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and interviews, prototyping sessions, and observations in Chinese educational settings, the study highlights three under explored dimensions of co-creation: (1) the recalibration of power from hierarchical expertise to fluid, reciprocal collaboration, (2) the active agency of tactile materials as non-human co-authors, and (3) the cultural-technical hybridity that enables design innovations to scale within broader educational and policy landscapes. Contrary to top-down or purely technological approaches, findings reveal that effective co-creation requires iterative negotiation among teachers, designers, and VIC to align pedagogical intent with material affordances. Additionally, co-creationemergesasastrategicresponsetosystemicconstraints, prompting creative improvisations and grassroots advocacy for more inclusive pedagogies. The paper repositions co-creation not merely as a pedagogy method but as an ecosystemic practice, one that demands sustained relational trust, acceptance of material resistance, and deliberate rearrangement of institutional norms. In doing so, it illuminates practical pathways for educators, designers, and policymakers to foster deeper equity and innovation in learning design for VIC.
Keywords
Co-creation; Visually impaired children; Educational design; Participatory pedagogy
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.43
Citation
Rong, A.,and Hansopaheluwakan-Edward, N.(2025) Who Designs, Who Teaches, Who Knows? Negotiating Co-Creation with Visually Impaired Children, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.43
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 6 - Co-creation
Who Designs, Who Teaches, Who Knows? Negotiating Co-Creation with Visually Impaired Children
This article examines how co-creation reshapes roles, power relations, and material practices in the design of tactile learning resources for visually impaired children (VIC). Drawing on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) and interviews, prototyping sessions, and observations in Chinese educational settings, the study highlights three under explored dimensions of co-creation: (1) the recalibration of power from hierarchical expertise to fluid, reciprocal collaboration, (2) the active agency of tactile materials as non-human co-authors, and (3) the cultural-technical hybridity that enables design innovations to scale within broader educational and policy landscapes. Contrary to top-down or purely technological approaches, findings reveal that effective co-creation requires iterative negotiation among teachers, designers, and VIC to align pedagogical intent with material affordances. Additionally, co-creationemergesasastrategicresponsetosystemicconstraints, prompting creative improvisations and grassroots advocacy for more inclusive pedagogies. The paper repositions co-creation not merely as a pedagogy method but as an ecosystemic practice, one that demands sustained relational trust, acceptance of material resistance, and deliberate rearrangement of institutional norms. In doing so, it illuminates practical pathways for educators, designers, and policymakers to foster deeper equity and innovation in learning design for VIC.