The assignment of identifying and redistributing power within an existing design plan to better co-design using design justice principles led me into a deep rabbit hole that began with a google search along the lines of “design plan” “social program” to reading about indigenous birthing practices in South America. To begin, I don’t think I realized the many types of power that are in play in any given interaction, such as going to the DMV; there are instances of financial power, social power, access power, and political power that are constantly being traded between people and institutions. When found an existing program looking to encourage a trusting relationship for an improved birthing experience between a Native American community and a hospital 2 hours away, it was jarring to see the many ways in which history, identity, cultural practices, and existing protocols all play in to the existing power dynamics of a given interaction.

At first glance, the design plan looked airtight as an example of perfect co-design (the design team presented the awards at the bottom to prove it). They even succeeded in helping passing a law that allowed Native parents to wait longer to register their babies in accordance to their traditions. Upon further examination there seemed to be a breakdown in the process somewhere. Every step of the design process, Native voices had been included and uplifted yet some of the implemented solutions felt superficial and didn’t seem to address the root issues- internal one pagers for employees and culturally inclusive/representative paintings in the birthing wing. These solutions didn’t pass the gut check for me. Despite the inclusion of co-design methods, the center of the focus remained on the hospital 2 hours from the community it intended to serve, and a majority of the power remained with them as the intervening solutions took place within their walls. These methods of intervention fell short of meaningful impact because they upheld the institution’s values and traditions over the people they sought to build trust with. Below, is an attached example of a birthing clinics that embraced meaningful heritages of the indigenous peoples they serve.

https://www.unfpa.org/news/giving-birth-upright-mat%C3%A9-%E2%80%93-peru-clinics-open-arms-indigenous-women