Join Our Diverse Community

Join the Open Inclusion Community. Be part of paid research and other opportunities.

The world’s largest disability and age-inclusive community. We are shaping the future, making it more inclusive of our diverse needs

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Being part of Open's inclusive community will let you:

Get involved in inclusive paid research opportunities, as and when you choose.
Share ideas. Learn from others. Find solutions that work.
Find offers and events. Keep up to date with new opportunities.
Update your needs and preferences. See how much you have earned. Choose how you want to be paid.

Please join the Open Community if:

You identify as disabled
You move, sense, think or feel sufficiently differently that you often find solutions fail to understand or meet your needs
You are over 65
You care for someone with a disability or who is over 65
You ticked one or more of the above and you wish to help make consumer solutions more accessible, usable and delightful for all
You'd like to earn income from sharing your experiences of disability or older age

Unleash the power of your diverse insights

Work with the organisations that are listening. Together as a community we affect change. Join the people who are making the world more welcoming and enjoyable for us all.

What is it like being part of the community?

We help businesses understand the needs of their broader customer segments as well as their workforce. We do this primarily by asking people with lived experience of access needs.

What is it like being involved in research?

Join the community and you may be asked to take part in:

Online surveys
In person research such as mystery shopping or product/service testing
Online research such as focus groups, usability testing or interviews

We run research regularly, so opportunities can come at any moment. You can opt in to any research that you would like to participate in where you meet the criteria outlined.

We select the broadest range of participants possible, often with set criteria, so that we get the best feedback to our clients from many perspectives.

Opportunities can fill quite quickly depending on the range of people we need. We will always try and give you plenty of notice to register. We then let you know as soon as possible if you are selected to participate.

How do I get paid for being involved in research at Open?

Your time and insights are extremely valuable. We appreciate this by paying for your participation in Open research. In 2022 we paid out over £45,000 to community members involved in research. This year will be higher than that.

Fair value

The amount we pay will depend on the research, and how much of your time it will take.

We have baselined our rates on the average income converted to an hourly rate for the country. Our hourly rates are well above the Living Wage Commitment we have made as a signatory to the Living Wage Foundation. You will not earn less than this.

If you need to travel, either to undertake a task or meet with our researchers, we will respect the total time taken through the incentives and/or cover travel costs.

Open points

If you have completed an online survey, you may earn Open points rather than a direct payment.

You can redeem your points when you have earned more than USD50/£50 (10 points). Each point is valued at USD5 /£5. Most short surveys are 2 – 3 points.

In person and longer online research such as usability testing is paid directly, within a month of when it was undertaken.

Get paid as you prefer

We provide multiple payment options.

These include bank transfer, Paypal, giftcards or donations to a charity.

You can also choose to defer a payment for a time that better suits you.

Referral incentives

We offer referral incentives for signed-up community members. For each successful referral, you will earn 3 Open points = £15/$15. To qualify for a successful referral and earn these points, the person you referred to the community must sign up and successfully take part in at least 1 piece of paid research.

Research examples

Online Via Zoom

NHS Test and Trace, Digital App

For over two years Open Inclusion and our community have provided insights to the team designing and delivering the COVID Test and Trace app in the UK. This included participants with experience of disability, older age and mental health challenges.

Location: Online/remote, UK Research types: Focus groups. Usability testing. Guerrilla testing (quick focussed research)

London based

Zammo AI/Microsoft, Voice interfaces

Open Inclusion and our community provided insights to a team designing voice interfaces for use in online job boards. This included participants with experience of sight loss, limited dexterity and neurodivergence.

Location: Online/remote, US Research types: Online survey. Expert interviews. Focus groups. Usability testing.

Online Via Zoom

Centre for Ageing Better, Inclusive Homes

The Centre for Ageing Better, UK wanted to better understand how those over 50 years old prepare their homes for ongoing independence in later life. Open Inclusion and our community provided insights specifically focussed on kitchens and bathroom considerations.

Location: Online and in person, UK Research types: Online survey. In home ethnography. Accompanied shopping. Expert interviews. Focus groups.

What is it like to be part of Open Inclusion's research?

“I have just completed the ‘buying habits and your disability’ survey that you posted for the community. It was one of the best surveys I’ve completed because it was clear and simple. I felt I got to share what I wanted to about my troubles with online shopping really easily”

“When I was diagnosed with dementia, people would not ask me the time of day. They immediately classed me as brain dead, and unable to have an opinion. If they saw me in my wheelchair, or were told I had dementia, shutters shot down, and anything I said was ignored. Being asked my opinion is a giant step forward. I love engaging with the research. Always ask and include those who are living different lives.”

"Some of the research that I have been involved in has been at the forefront of innovation. I love that I am driving the development of new products and services for a future that will be more inclusive of my needs and those of my community.”

"Open is not only bringing together the needs of those of us who live, experience and buy differently, but it is doing it as part of a community, a part of a community that is so large we shouldn't be ignored"

"I’ve been on this panel at Open Inclusion for a while and proud to be part of a community who are passionate enough to give us the time and a space to test out products, talk, share our experiences and fill in surveys, all to try & improve experiences for #PwD [people with disabilities]."

“I have to say yesterday’s session for me was thoroughly enjoyable, and at the same time felt really important as I was being heard”

“I never thought I’d interact with such powerful companies and they’re listening to me, it's a strange and wonderful feeling.”

"Thank you. Open really helps get disabled people’s voices and feedback heard to improve our lives. The research last week was well run and fun too. I appreciated that my needs were considered and well met."

“It was an absolute pleasure to meet you and participate in the user testing on Tuesday. The girls are still talking about how fun it was and how important they felt since they got to help shape the future of the app.”

Who are your community leads?

Community leads are integrated into the core Open Inclusion team. Each lead represents one major disability from the community. They keep us up to date with anything occurring within their community plus review our work, ideas and approach. This ensures we appropriately represent the access needs and preferences across all disabilities.

Brands we’ve supported

We’re here to support you

If you need to contact us or support getting involved with any of our community or research projects here are some ways you can do that:

Speak to us by phone, video call or WhatsApp (voice or video).

We’re available by SMS, WhatsApp (text) or email.

For in person or video-based research we provide sign language interpretation as required by participants.

We provide live captioning for in-person and online research.

If you are not comfortable with technology, you can still be involved in research. For example, you can share your opinions for an online survey with a researcher over the phone.

We can also support you in many other ways. Please ask us if you need help or assistance.