Lived Reality works with people who choose to share their lived experience. We help organisations better understand how systems are experienced in real life.

Contributors take part in facilitated sessions. Participation is always voluntary, consent-based, and designed with care. This work is not therapy, and contributors can choose how and whether to take part.

Contributors bring real-world knowledge shaped by their lives, bodies, identities, and experiences. This lived expertise helps reveal where systems work well, and where they unintentionally exclude, overwhelm, or cause harm.

Who is this for?

You may be interested in becoming a contributor if you have lived experience that sits outside the “average user”, including experiences related to:

• Neurodivergence
• Disability or chronic illness
• Mental health or trauma
• Navigating complex systems
• Non-standard life journeys

You do not need formal qualifications or professional experience. Lived experience is the expertise.

What participation involves

Contributors may be invited to take part in:

• Small, facilitated group sessions
• Occasional individual conversations
• Short feedback or reflection activities

Sessions are focused on specific topics or questions and are designed to be respectful, structured, and time-limited.

Participation is always optional. You can choose which opportunities to take part in, and can step back at any time.

Ethics, care and consent

Lived Reality is committed to ethical, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-aware practice.

• Participation is voluntary and based on informed consent
• Contributions are anonymised unless otherwise agreed
• This work is not therapy
• You are not expected to share anything uncomfortable
• Sessions are facilitated with care and clear boundaries

We do not undertake work that treats lived experience as a resource to be extracted, or that risks harm to contributors.

Payment and participation

All lived-experience contributions that are part of paid client projects are financially compensated. We are informed by NIHR Payment guidance for researchers and professionals involving people in research. Contributor rates for client work are currently £75 per half-day session, with details shared in advance for each opportunity.

Contributors are recognised as bringing valuable expertise, and their contributions are treated with respect.

From time to time, Lived Reality may also invite people to take part in voluntary activities, such as short surveys or reflections. These are used to help identify patterns, develop ideas, or create public-facing content, and are not part of paid client projects.

Participation in any activity is entirely optional. Taking part, or choosing not to take part, has no impact on whether you are invited to paid opportunities in the future.

Interested in contributing?

If you’d like to hear about future opportunities to contribute to Lived Reality’s work, you can register your interest below.