Lived experience is expertise
Why direct experience with systems, policies, and public life is a vital form of knowledge.
Too often, we treat professional credentials as the only form of expertise worth listening to in public work. But people navigating systems daily—whether for survival, care, or community—carry insights that can’t be learned in a classroom or coded into a dashboard.
This is what we mean by lived experience as expertise: the knowledge and perspective gained through direct personal engagement with systems, institutions, and public conditions.
It’s not anecdotal. It’s situated. It’s specific. And when brought into public decision-making, it reveals the full impact of policies—not just as they’re written, but as they’re felt.
A hand-painted style illustration of an older woman gently handing a glass of water and medicine to an elderly man resting in bed. The scene conveys care, closeness, and lived knowledge through everyday caregiving—underscoring how expertise can come from direct, compassionate experience rather than formal training.
Why it matters in civic work
When people with lived experience are meaningfully involved, they surface gaps in understanding, reframe problems, and expand the scope of what’s possible. They challenge assumptions baked into policy, systems, and even research itself.
Take healthcare: patient advocates with long-term chronic conditions have changed how providers think about care coordination. Or public transit: community members have helped cities redesign routes based on overlooked patterns of need.
Their contributions aren’t just helpful, they’re essential.
Lived experience in action
Lived experience as expertise can show up in many ways. It might look like:
A public housing resident co-designing safety protocols for their building
A formerly incarcerated person advising on reentry programs
An Indigenous leader shaping climate adaptation plans for their community
A young caregiver consulting on mental health services for families
A person who’s navigated disability benefits helping streamline eligibility forms
Each of these perspectives is rooted in real interaction with the systems in question. They understand the gaps because they’ve lived through them.
From tokenism to co-creation
It’s not enough to “listen” to lived experience. We have to value it as expertise—with compensation, decision-making power, and long-term inclusion.
This shift also requires changing how we define expertise in civic work. Not as degrees held, but as insight earned through navigating complexity. Not as something we validate, but something we honor.
Are you centering lived experience in your work?
We’re learning from people who carry this expertise every day—and working to create more spaces where it leads. Reach out today.