The Art of Using Inclusive Community Chats with an Adaptive World Café Approach to Explore the Meaning of Inclusive Communities

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First published online 19 June 2026.

Why this study was done

People with disability, neurodivergent people, people with chronic illnesses, young people and other community members are not always included in decisions about their communities. Traditional community consultations, such as public meetings or focus groups, can create barriers that make it difficult for some people to participate or have their experiences heard. This study explored a more inclusive way of bringing people together to talk about what makes a community inclusive. The researchers wanted to understand how Community Chats, based on the World Café approach, could be adapted so that people with and without disability could share their experiences, ideas and solutions in ways that worked for them.


What the study did

The researchers used an adapted World Café approach, where people come together in small groups to have conversations about particular questions and share ideas.

The approach was changed to make participation more accessible. This included providing questions in advance, using plain and easy-to-read language, providing large-print information, allowing different ways to communicate, reducing the amount of movement between groups, and providing sensory and tactile resources.

The researchers also used creative approaches, including a visual recorder who drew and captured key ideas as people talked. Some sessions included online participation so that people who could not attend in person could still contribute.

Eleven two-hour Community Chats were conducted, involving 71 people. Participants included people with and without disabilities and people with different experiences, circumstances and support needs. The conversations explored questions such as:

  • What makes an inclusive community?
  • What helps make communities inclusive for people with disability?
  • What makes communities less inclusive?
  • What needs to change to make communities better for everyone?


What the study found

The study showed that how people are invited to participate is just as important as what they are asked about. The researchers found that adapting the World Café approach created more opportunities for people with different abilities, communication styles and experiences to participate. Providing information beforehand, allowing people to take their time, reducing unnecessary movement and offering different ways to express ideas helped reduce barriers to participation.

The study also showed that inclusion involves more than physical accessibility. Researchers need to consider cognitive, sensory, communication and physical accessibility at the same time. An important finding was that dialogue does not have to mean speaking. People can communicate through writing, drawing, visual resources, different forms of technology and other ways of expressing their experiences.

The Community Chats also created opportunities for people with and without disability to listen to one another, share different experiences and develop ideas about what needs to change in their communities. The researchers emphasised that there is no single approach that will work for everyone. Providing choice and flexibility is therefore an important part of genuinely inclusive research and community engagement.


What this means

This study demonstrates that community engagement can be designed differently so that more people have meaningful opportunities to participate. For researchers, planners and organisations, this means thinking about accessibility from the beginning, rather than making changes only after someone encounters a barrier. It also means recognising that people have different ways of communicating and contributing knowledge. The study suggests that inclusive Community Chats can provide an alternative to traditional focus groups and public consultations. By creating welcoming spaces, providing different ways to participate and valuing lived experience, researchers and communities can work together to identify both problems and possible solutions. Most importantly, the approach supports the principle of "nothing about us without us" by creating opportunities for people with disability and other marginalised groups to contribute directly to conversations about the communities in which they live. The researchers argue that inclusive community engagement should become part of normal research and planning practice, rather than being treated as an additional or optional activity.


This study was conducted by: Ms. Julie Anderson and Dr Lisa Stafford

To read the full article, visit the journal.

For other accessible formats, please see the column to the right.

Disclaimer: The QDRN has utilised generative AI to refine the wording of this plain language summary. All content has been checked for accuracy, appropriate tone, and clarity and approved by the author.

First published online 19 June 2026.

Why this study was done

People with disability, neurodivergent people, people with chronic illnesses, young people and other community members are not always included in decisions about their communities. Traditional community consultations, such as public meetings or focus groups, can create barriers that make it difficult for some people to participate or have their experiences heard. This study explored a more inclusive way of bringing people together to talk about what makes a community inclusive. The researchers wanted to understand how Community Chats, based on the World Café approach, could be adapted so that people with and without disability could share their experiences, ideas and solutions in ways that worked for them.


What the study did

The researchers used an adapted World Café approach, where people come together in small groups to have conversations about particular questions and share ideas.

The approach was changed to make participation more accessible. This included providing questions in advance, using plain and easy-to-read language, providing large-print information, allowing different ways to communicate, reducing the amount of movement between groups, and providing sensory and tactile resources.

The researchers also used creative approaches, including a visual recorder who drew and captured key ideas as people talked. Some sessions included online participation so that people who could not attend in person could still contribute.

Eleven two-hour Community Chats were conducted, involving 71 people. Participants included people with and without disabilities and people with different experiences, circumstances and support needs. The conversations explored questions such as:

  • What makes an inclusive community?
  • What helps make communities inclusive for people with disability?
  • What makes communities less inclusive?
  • What needs to change to make communities better for everyone?


What the study found

The study showed that how people are invited to participate is just as important as what they are asked about. The researchers found that adapting the World Café approach created more opportunities for people with different abilities, communication styles and experiences to participate. Providing information beforehand, allowing people to take their time, reducing unnecessary movement and offering different ways to express ideas helped reduce barriers to participation.

The study also showed that inclusion involves more than physical accessibility. Researchers need to consider cognitive, sensory, communication and physical accessibility at the same time. An important finding was that dialogue does not have to mean speaking. People can communicate through writing, drawing, visual resources, different forms of technology and other ways of expressing their experiences.

The Community Chats also created opportunities for people with and without disability to listen to one another, share different experiences and develop ideas about what needs to change in their communities. The researchers emphasised that there is no single approach that will work for everyone. Providing choice and flexibility is therefore an important part of genuinely inclusive research and community engagement.


What this means

This study demonstrates that community engagement can be designed differently so that more people have meaningful opportunities to participate. For researchers, planners and organisations, this means thinking about accessibility from the beginning, rather than making changes only after someone encounters a barrier. It also means recognising that people have different ways of communicating and contributing knowledge. The study suggests that inclusive Community Chats can provide an alternative to traditional focus groups and public consultations. By creating welcoming spaces, providing different ways to participate and valuing lived experience, researchers and communities can work together to identify both problems and possible solutions. Most importantly, the approach supports the principle of "nothing about us without us" by creating opportunities for people with disability and other marginalised groups to contribute directly to conversations about the communities in which they live. The researchers argue that inclusive community engagement should become part of normal research and planning practice, rather than being treated as an additional or optional activity.


This study was conducted by: Ms. Julie Anderson and Dr Lisa Stafford

To read the full article, visit the journal.

For other accessible formats, please see the column to the right.

Disclaimer: The QDRN has utilised generative AI to refine the wording of this plain language summary. All content has been checked for accuracy, appropriate tone, and clarity and approved by the author.