Location
Kumasi, Ghana & Virtual
Start Date
7-8-2026 12:00 PM
End Date
7-8-2026 12:30 PM
Description
While previous research has recognized the importance of participation, how the structurally embedded inclusion of PWDs reshapes digital innovation processes and their outcomes in resource-constrained contexts remains underexplored. The study addresses this gap through a longitudinal qualitative case study of a five-year recurring hackathon organized in Ghana from 2021 to 2025, with a focus on disability inclusion. Drawing on Adaptive Structuration Theory as an analytical lens, normatively supported by critical disability studies, this study analyzes the qualitative interview and observation data from 20 participants. The results reveal that inclusion is a structuring force through four interrelated mechanisms: (1) lived experience as a generative design resource, (2) reframing of accessibility as a design logic, (3) reshaping of interaction patterns, and (4) context-driven design adaptation. These mechanisms shift the concept of accessibility from an outer layer to a core innovation design logic.
Included in
Management Information Systems Commons, Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, Technology and Innovation Commons
Beyond Procedural Participation: A Process Perspective of Disability-Inclusive Digital Innovation
Kumasi, Ghana & Virtual
While previous research has recognized the importance of participation, how the structurally embedded inclusion of PWDs reshapes digital innovation processes and their outcomes in resource-constrained contexts remains underexplored. The study addresses this gap through a longitudinal qualitative case study of a five-year recurring hackathon organized in Ghana from 2021 to 2025, with a focus on disability inclusion. Drawing on Adaptive Structuration Theory as an analytical lens, normatively supported by critical disability studies, this study analyzes the qualitative interview and observation data from 20 participants. The results reveal that inclusion is a structuring force through four interrelated mechanisms: (1) lived experience as a generative design resource, (2) reframing of accessibility as a design logic, (3) reshaping of interaction patterns, and (4) context-driven design adaptation. These mechanisms shift the concept of accessibility from an outer layer to a core innovation design logic.
