Co-design of research can evolve organically when the questions to be asked have their roots deep in the soil of partnerships based on trust, respect, and a common vision for equity and inclusion. This journal article provides an overview of a research project using methodology that foregrounds the central role of Indigenous people with lived experience of disability in the study design, its implementation, and in the validation of the results. 

The article shares the conceptual framework and relationship hierarchy for the research, ensuring that the authority of those with lived experience was maintained and central to all research activities. It showcases a way forward for other fields of co-designed research, delivering both academic rigour and leadership by those with lived experience.