About Us

Social Workers Who Design began as a seed of an idea in 1998, was nurtured in 2008, and became a fully flourishing endeavor in 2018. We are a small, socially conscious design advocacy studio committed to integrating care into design research, education, and practice. Collaborating with partners worldwide, we strive to center compassion, inclusivity, and equity in all our work.

Our approach is rooted in our values. Explore our Principles with Purpose and our Living Model of Change to learn more about how we integrate care and justice into our process.

Work With Us

We offer remote and on-site speaking engagements, workshops, and learning experiences tailored to meet the needs of individuals and organizations. Our offerings include:

  • Research facilitation for serious and complex subject matter

  • Supervision and mentorship for individuals and teams

  • Trauma-informed and trauma-responsive design research and practice facilitation

  • Speaking engagements and conversations on topics such as the value of social workers in design and tech, the necessity of trauma-informed futures in design, and care-centered design frameworks

Contact us to learn how we can collaborate.

About Our Founder

Hi there! I’m Rachael Dietkus, a mom, musician, and macro-focused licensed clinical social worker-designer. I founded Social Workers Who Design to bridge the worlds of social work, design, and technology with a commitment to care and justice.

As an active member of the Design Justice Network and the Social Work Futures Lab, I explore the integration of anti-oppressive social work values, trauma-responsive principles, and care-focused design research methods. I write extensively on these topics and am currently working on my first book, Trauma by Design: Why the Conditions of Care Matter (forthcoming from MIT Press).

Experience & Background

I earned my Master of Social Work (2010) with a concentration in Advocacy, Leadership & Social Change and my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology (2000) focusing on Social Movements and Social Movement Organizations—both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. My career spans two decades in social justice, federal government, and higher education, working with values-driven design teams worldwide.

From 2019 to 2021, I pursued coursework in the Design for Responsible Innovation MFA program at UIUC, where I began developing my thesis on Trauma Responsive Design: Addressing the Hidden Gaps in Design Research Methodologies and Practice. Before pausing my studies in 2022 to join the U.S. Digital Service at the White House, this work became the foundation of my trauma-informed design practice.

Beyond academia, I’ve engaged deeply in activism, advocacy, and service:

  • Environmental justice organizer and death penalty abolitionist in the 1990s and early 2000s

  • Performing musician in the Midwest independent music scene

  • AmeriCorps member with the American Red Cross

  • NGO delegate to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights

  • Mayor-appointed member of the City of Urbana Human Relations Commission

  • Governor-appointed member of Serve Illinois

Care to Connect

Let’s collaborate or start a conversation! You can connect with Rachael on LinkedIn or reach her via email.