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Full text release has been delayed at the author's request until May 08, 2026

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Assessing Participation in the Planning Process: Using the Six Feelings Framework to Foster Engagement with Autistic Adults

Korniyenko, Galyna
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3228-3132
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1682065361505187

Abstract Details

2023, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, City and Regional Planning.
The development of planning strategies and application of theory to meet the needs of neurodiverse population, such as autistic adults, is limited and emergent. My dissertation assesses the process of public participation in planning and its inclusion of neurodiverse population in it. First, I will review the limitations of existing planning theory and discuss how planning theory should evolve to adequately reflect and address the needs of those with disabilities. Then, I examine what aspects of existing theory are beneficial in furthering our understanding and planning with acceptance of autistic and other neurodiverse communities. This study, using mixed methods, including a survey of autistic adults and semi-structured interviews of practicing planners, will explore the premise that special accommodation during planning public participation engagements would develop more active participation and involvement of autistic adults. These accommodations could also serve and increase the engagement of other neurodiverse populations, compared to traditional public engagement practices. The goal of this work is the exploration of possible procedural tools that can accommodate public participation of people with different cognitive abilities during public meetings and engagement in the planning and design process. I conclude discussing the policy implications of this research. The findings indicate that engagement of autistic adults into decision-making process is possible when planners provide accommodations tailored to neurodivergent participants. I suggest that changes in how planners conduct community participation meetings can start from the evaluation of participation process through Six Feelings Framework which focuses on inclusion of feelings and emotions into decision-making process. Results of survey suggest that feelings of “clear” and “free” are the most important for autistic adults’ engagement, meaning that when materials and rules of participation are clear and jargon-free, and accommodations provide the sense of freedom to participate on autistic adults’ terms, such as acknowledgment of neurodivergent lived experiences, flexibility of ways to communicate, availability of soothing areas for retreat and decompression, it is more likely they participate. The main findings of planners’ interviews suggest that planning itself is a very disruptive activity, which focuses on changes for future. Thus, this activity very often creates the feeling of fear among participants which highlights how communities, even not autistic, react to proposed changes. Gradual introduction of changes might be one of the solutions to lower the level of stress. The most important inquiry should be the assessment if the fear is based on the facts and analysis of exclusion of oppressed or underserved groups, or the feeling of entitlement that some other groups might have.
Jason Reece (Advisor)
Kyle Ezell (Committee Member)
Bernadette Hanlon (Committee Member)
247 p.
Architecture; Area Planning and Development; Behavioral Psychology; Cognitive Psychology; Environmental Health; Health; Instructional Design; Land Use Planning; Landscape Architecture; Mental Health; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Neurosciences; Organizational Behavior; Psychology; Public Administration; Public Policy; School Counseling; Social Research; Special Education; Speech Therapy; Teaching; Technical Communication; Transportation; Urban Planning
planning process, public participation, inclusion, autism, disability studies, public engagement, six feelings framework, neurodiversity, accommodation

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Korniyenko, G. (2023). Assessing Participation in the Planning Process: Using the Six Feelings Framework to Foster Engagement with Autistic Adults [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1682065361505187

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Korniyenko, Galyna. Assessing Participation in the Planning Process: Using the Six Feelings Framework to Foster Engagement with Autistic Adults. 2023. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1682065361505187.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Korniyenko, Galyna. "Assessing Participation in the Planning Process: Using the Six Feelings Framework to Foster Engagement with Autistic Adults." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2023. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1682065361505187

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1682065361505187
© 2023, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License Assessing Participation in the Planning Process: Using the Six Feelings Framework to Foster Engagement with Autistic Adults by Galyna Korniyenko is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.