Introduce Trauma-Informed Design to Your Organization - CSUN ATC 2024

Historically, accessibility specialists focused on a narrow set of disabilities. We focused on the senses, such as sight, sound, and touch. We focused on abilities, like hearing, movement, and seeing.

We expanded to include cognitive, mental health, and neurodiversity. This is significant. We now have tools to build inclusive products and services for an estimated 25% of the population. What about the other 75%?
As accessibility professionals, we understand unique experiences and needs. We are best equipped to expand customer research and design at our companies. Universal design was described as a one size fits all solution. Inclusive design is one size fits one. Intersectional design is one size fits one, but also accounts for price, texture, availability, cultural appropriateness, and more.

This presentation introduces the next layer of inclusive design; one that recognizes trauma.

Trauma-Informed Design (TID) started in education, health, and community spaces. It focuses on the person’s experiences, recognizing trauma’s impact, anxiety, and restoring personal control. Architects embraced TID to develop spaces that are comfortable instead of confrontive.

While the earlier stages of TID focused on individualized experiences, we can still take the principles and apply them to web and mobile application design. This is especially critical for emerging AI powered experiences where transparency and collective understanding are rarely considered.

1. Trauma Informed Design Pam Bingham Ted Drake CSUN ATC 2024

2. Pam Bingham Senior Program Manager, DEI Center of Expertise Introductions Ted Drake Accessibility and Inclusive Design Leader, Intuit Design System *Melissa Eggleston Trauma-Informed Design Leader

3. Establishing Consensus Confidentiality - What’s shared here stays here. Be present - Engage fully with us and with each other. Engage with empathy and curiosity - Listen with the intent to learn more. Accept lived experiences - Believe and support each other. Address problems, not people - Create space for disclosure. Speak - With “I statements” Don’t feel pressured - Allow yourself space to think and then share Be open to feedback - We all have room to learn and grow.

4. Today’s Expectations Trauma 101 Design’s impact Respecting our customers Preparing for customer interactions Do no harm

5. This is Hard

6. Expanding Inclusive Design Inclusive Design = Design with diverse individuals Intersectionality = Incorporate the person’s whole identity Spoon Theory = Design for minimal cognitive load Trauma Informed Design = Design for trust , reduce harm , clarity

7. K ey Principles for Trauma-Informed Approach Safety Trustworthiness and Transparency Peer Support Collaboration and Mutuality Empowerment, Voice, and Choice Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues

8. Challenge: Human Trafficking Report How would you design an app for reporting human trafficking?

9. Challenge: Human Trafficking Report How would you design an app for reporting human trafficking? Mobile web page that loads quickly

10. Challenge: Human Trafficking Report Mobile web page that loads quickly Accept reports via SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram… Mimic other applications, like food ordering Acknowledge receipt Temporary state (Snap Chat) Form should load, fill out, and send within 30 seconds No sound or vibrations Work offline GPS shared by default Archived for future use (ACLU)

11. What is Trauma

12. About 60% of men and 50% of women in America will experience trauma at least once in their lives, with 12 million US adults suffering from PTSD during any given year. Given its prevalence, it’s important to understand what trauma is, what effects it has, and—crucially—where help can be found.

13. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines trauma as “an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster.” Short-term responses are typically shock and denial, while long-term responses can include “unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.” These are normal responses to abnormal experiences. Although individuals can experience trauma in unique ways, there are nonetheless common threads that allow for some categorization. Psychologists have identified three main types of trauma: acute, chronic, and complex. Acute trauma results from a single incident. Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged, such as domestic violence or abuse. Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.

14. Little T vs Big T

15. We can break traumas into little “t’s” and big “T’s” Little”t’s” are events that cause distress because we do not have the ability to cope with the event or experience. These events are not going to be life threatening nor lead to bodily injury, nonetheless, it can cause hopelessness and create a disruption in emotional functioning. Big “T’s” are traumatic events that most people envision when one says the word trauma. This is a significant event that leaves one feeling powerless and often lead to a fear for their lives or another’s life.

16. Community Trauma

17. What’s traumatic to me, may not be to you

18. Recognizing Trauma

19. Toxic Stress 3 Kinds of Stress 1. Positive stress response is a part of healthy development. We experience it in new situations, like starting a new school or job. Our bodies react by increasing our heart rates and our hormone levels are elevated. 2. Tolerable stress response is when our body reacts to a major difficulty: loss of a loved one, natural disaster, or injury. If it is a limited event and we are surrounded by caring adults and healthy relationships, the brain and body recover from the effects of this type of stress. 3. Toxic stress response is when someone experiences ongoing adversity like physical or emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver substance abuse, violence, or economic hardship and they don’t have adequate support from the adults in their lives. Their bodies and brains are in “fight or flight” mode so often that their development can be impaired, even as they grow up.

20. Near Science Neuroscience - is about understanding the nervous system, the spine, and the brain, which can help us determine how to intervene and support resilience and recovery, including: Epigenetics - demonstrates that the body is always adapting down to the cellular level. Our DNA is not our destiny, and just as the ability to transfer trauma across generations is clear, so too is our ability to heal from generation to generation with the right intervention and support. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) - can have a lasting impact that unfolds over the lifespan Resilience Research - is the capacity/ability to adapt to, prevent, or mitigate the impacts of an adverse event or trauma. Resilience is a capacity that can be developed and exercised .

21. Things to avoid

22. Questions?

23. AI + TID

24. Learn More

25. Audience journey 20XX Pam is bringing in real examples. I see how we can design better. Pam’s Intro Starting to understand the complexities of trauma. I can see how this affects me What is trauma I’m not sure if I understand trauma informed design. Have I experienced trauma? Introduce TID Lots of new information and terms. How will this work at my company. Start Excited to be in the room and learn a new topic End Excited to have learned about Trauma. I want to share with others. I need to learn more.