COSP19 Side Event: Nothing About Us Without Us All: Effective Co-design with People with Disability in All Our Diversity
People with disability must be involved in decisions that affect our lives.
That was the key message from the 2026 side event "Nothing About Us Without Us All: Effective Co-design with People with Disability in All Our Diversity" at the 19th Conference of States Parties (COSP19) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
At COSP19, PWDA highlighted the importance of including LGBTQIA+ people with disability in decisions that affect their lives. PWDA's message was simple: consultation is not enough. People with disability must help shape decisions from the beginning.
PWDA hosted longside the Australian Government, Women with Disability Australia (WWDA), the International Disability Alliance, the Global Disability Fund and the Pacific Disability Forum, the event explored what meaningful co-design looks like and how it can better include people who experience multiple forms of discrimination.
What is co-design?
The CRPD Article 4(3) says governments must consult closely with people with disability and involve them in decisions that affect their lives.
This is called co-design.
Co-design means working with people with disability as equal partners. It is not about governments or organisations making decisions alone.
Consultation is not co-design
Speaking on behalf of PWDA, LGBTQIA+ Project Lead Bobbie Trower challenged organisations and governments to think beyond consultation.
Bobbie asked participants to reflect on their own experiences of consultation processes.
While many had participated in consultations previously, very few had been involved in deciding the questions being asked or influencing the final recommendations.
"That's the difference between consultation and co-design," Bobby said.
True co-design means people with disability are involved from the beginning. They help define the problem, shape the process, and influence decisions and outcomes.
Why LGBTQIA+ people with disability must be included
Bobby highlighted the unique challenges faced by LGBTQIA+ people with disability, who often navigate systems that are not accessible for their disability nor inclusive of their LGBTQIA+ identity.
Many people face barriers when accessing healthcare, disability services and community spaces. They may experience discrimination based on both disability and identity, leading to poorer outcomes, reduced trust in services and increased isolation.
Bobbie described this as "systems failure at the intersections" rather than simply an issue of individual identity.
For co-design to be effective, intersectionality must be considered from the beginning rather than added as an afterthought.
What effective co-design looks like
Effective co-design is built on partnership, trust and shared power.
This includes:
- Involving people with disability in setting priorities and making decisions, not just providing feedback.
- Creating dedicated and safer spaces for marginalised communities.
- Working with community-led organisations and trusted networks.
- Offering multiple ways for people to participate.
- Building accessibility into the process from the start.
- Using trauma-informed approaches and respecting people's choices about disclosure.
- Investing in long-term partnerships rather than one-off consultations.
Bobbie shared examples of community-led initiatives that have successfully embedded these principles, including projects designed and delivered by LGBTQIA+ people with disability.
Building a more inclusive future
A key theme throughout the discussion was that co-design must lead to real outcomes.
When people with disability are involved as leaders and decision-makers, policies and services are more likely to meet community needs and create lasting change.
As governments and organisations look to the next phase of CRPD implementation, PWDA emphasised that inclusive co-design is both a human rights obligation and a practical necessity.
The message was clear: people with disability must not only be invited to the table, they must have the power to shape what happens there.
As Bobbie concluded, "The question is no longer whether we can afford to include co-design. The question is whether we can afford not to."
Learn more by watching the event or read the report on Survey of LGBTQIA+ People
with Disability in Australia (2025).
Watch Nothing About Us Without Us All: Effective Co-design with People with Disability in All Our Diversity on UNTV
LGBTQIA+ Survey Report
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