Family Centered Neurodiversity & Disability Research

Working with families to understand and amplify lived experiences for improved research and care

What we do

We lead innovative, family-centered research through Collaboration Station, the first co-designed living lab for families of neurodiverse children. Supported by the Winnipeg Foundation Innovation Funding and Research Manitoba, our team collaborates with families, clinicians, and national partners to create a sustainable platform for knowledge exchange, storytelling, and innovation in childhood disability and rehabilitation care.

Through this interactive platform, we:

  • Co-create family-centered solutions for childhood disability and rehabilitation care

  • Exchange knowledge between families, researchers, and clinicians at partnered sites in Manitoba

  • Advance innovation in care and research using living lab and story-based methods

Collaboration Station brings stories, science, and lived experience together—building a more inclusive and informed future for neurodiverse children and their families.

Collaboration Station logo

Collaboration Station

Connecting families living with developmental conditions to research that matters

Funded by The Winnipeg Foundation Rady Health Sciences Innovation Grant, the PREPP Award, and Research Manitoba

Projects

A diverse group of people, including children and adults, gathered around a table with a laptop and drawing supplies, engaging in a creative discussion about ideas symbolized by a bright lightbulb and colorful lines emanating from it.

Systematic Review of Living Labs in Child Health

The first systematic review of living labs across
child health contexts

PROSPERO registration number:
CRD42020175275

Funded by the University of Manitoba’s University Research Grants Program

Publications

Archibald, M., Akinwale, O., Hammond, E., Mora, A., Woodgate, R., & Wittmeier, K. A. (2024). Living lab for family centred knowledge exchange in pediatric rehabilitation and development research: A study protocol. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 23. doi: 10.1177/16094069241244866

Archibald, M., Wittmeier, K., Gale, M., Ricci, F., Russell, K., & Woodgate, R. (2021). Living labs for patient engagement and knowledge exchange: A protocol for an exploratory sequential mixed methods study for prototype development in pediatric rehabilitation. BMJ Open, 11(5), e041530. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041530

Our Partners

PRIME research theme logo