Inclusive Design and Accessibility

CALL FOR PAPERS

Inclusive Design and Accessibility

Journal: Applied Ergonomics

Publisher: Elsevier

Submission Opens: 12 March 2026

Submission Deadline: 31 August 2026

Introduction

Thirty years have passed since the term Inclusive Design was introduced. Scholarly activities — through conferences, books, journal papers, and special interest groups — have built a strong knowledge foundation for the field. The development of guidance, standards, methods, and tools has guided practice across disciplines and fields worldwide.

Through comparison with related concepts such as Universal Design and Design for All — and through development of its own epistemology — Inclusive Design has continually evolved. With the advancement of technologies, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI), Inclusive Design now faces new opportunities.

Recent discussions have further expanded the scope of Inclusive Design — linking it strongly to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), exploring its role in spatial justice and co-production processes, and applying it across macro, meso, and micro levels. New areas of focus include its potential contributions to chronic disease management, neurodiversity accommodation, accessible crisis information, making standards more inclusive, inclusion in mixed realities, and AI for inclusion.

Scope & Significance

While previous publications have often centered on understanding user capabilities, assessing design exclusion, exploring co-design processes, and sharing case studies in built environments, digital, or product design applications — this Special Issue aims to chart new directions.

It invites cross-cultural, multidisciplinary contributions that:

• Advance theory in Inclusive Design

• Explore intersections with emerging technologies

• Propose innovative methodologies

• Examine Inclusive Design's broader societal impacts

The editors welcome original contributions from researchers, designers, ergonomists, engineers, architects, educators, health and safety specialists, psychologists, occupational health specialists, and human-computer interaction specialists. Submissions from diverse disciplines and cultural contexts are strongly encouraged.

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

1. Theories of Inclusive Design

2. Co-production methodologies and participatory approaches

3. Inclusive Design and emerging technologies — including AI, VR, AR, Robotics, and IoT

4. Teaching and learning Inclusive Design in diverse contexts

5. New tools, practices, and resources for Inclusive Design

6. Application of Inclusive Design principles to chronic disease management

7. Neuroscience, neurodiversity, and Inclusive Design

8. Inclusive Design — human-centred and nature-centred approaches

9. Spatial justice and Inclusive Design

10. Healthy ageing and Inclusive Design

11. Inclusive Design and standards — making standards more inclusive

12. Emerging practices of Inclusive Design

13. Ethics and Inclusive Design

14. Frontiers of Inclusive Design — accessible crisis information, mixed realities, and AI for inclusion

15. Inclusive Design and its contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Guest Editors

Prof. P. John Clarkson University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

Prof. Hua Dong Royal College of Art, London, UK (For inquiries about contribution topics, contact Prof. Hua Dong directly)

Key Deadlines

📅 Manuscript Submission Opens: 12 March 2026 ⏰ Manuscript Submission Deadline: 31 August 2026

Submission Guidelines

Submissions are made through Editorial Manager, the official online submission system for Applied Ergonomics.

When submitting, select Article Type: "VSI: JERG_Inclusive Design" (Please select this item when submitting manuscripts online.)

All manuscripts will undergo peer review and will be evaluated based on:

• Originality

• Significance

• Technical quality

• Clarity

Once accepted, articles will be posted online immediately and published in a journal regular issue within weeks. Articles will also be simultaneously collected in the online special issue.

⚠️ All submissions must be original and must not be under review elsewhere at the time of submission.

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