Co-design means the people affected help shape the change, not just react to a finished draft. Start by deciding, and saying out loud, how much influence partners will have. The International Association for Public Participation's Spectrum describes five levels, each with a promise. Inform promises to keep people informed. Consult promises to listen, acknowledge concerns and report how input influenced the decision. Involve promises that concerns will be directly reflected in the alternatives developed. Collaborate promises to look to partners for advice and innovation and incorporate their recommendations to the maximum extent possible. Empower promises to implement what the public decides. For most capstone projects, involve or collaborate is realistic. The worst outcome is promising collaboration and delivering consultation.
Compensate people for their time and expertise. Community members, family members and self-advocates who help redesign a process are doing work. Work with your contracts, grants or finance staff to learn the approved ways to pay stipends or contract with community organizations, and budget for it at the start. Also cover practical costs such as transportation, child care and interpreters. Pay partner organizations for convening, not just individuals.
Make every activity accessible and available in the languages people use. The National CLAS Standards, a voluntary national framework from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, call for offering language assistance at no cost, informing people that it is available, using competent interpreters rather than untrained people or minors, and partnering with the community to design, implement and evaluate services. For people with disabilities, the ADA's effective communication rules for state and local governments require appropriate aids and services, with primary consideration to the person's choice, such as interpreters, captioning, accessible documents and plain language. Offer several ways to take part: in person, online, by phone, in writing or through a trusted organization.
Keep formal routes separate. Co-design sessions do not replace Tribal consultation, which stays government-to-government through the Tribal liaison. Partners shape options; the accountable DHS decision maker still decides, and your team should say so honestly. Treat partners as experts in their own experience, not as a panel who must educate staff about their identity, and do not ask anyone to retell traumatic experiences to justify a change.
