What message are we sending to people with disabilities when we design restaurants, playgrounds, fitness centers and other places that are not accessible for them? Why not give people with disabilities the same choices to participate in culinary, recreational, artistic and other experiences by expanding the target market to one that includes people with disabilities?
In her book "Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design," Kat Holmes talks about how successful inclusive designers identify ability biases and mismatched interactions and then proceed to design a product or service that provides a diverse way for all kinds of people to participate in its experience. A good example is OXO Good Grip kitchen tools. When Sam Farber set out to design a set of kitchen tools for his wife who had arthritis, he added an element of comfort to the grip for it to be more accessible. What started as a targeted design became a universal one, with many people buying OXO kitchen tools regardless of their abilities, because of the comfortable grip and its ease of use. Today, when companies think of designing with accessibility at the forefront, more often than not, they are afraid that the costs of such an initiative may not be justified because of the misconception that accessible design caters solely to people with disabilities. However, designing for accessibility does not mean designing only for disability. It is not designing for a niche, but expanding your end user audience to be more inclusive. In fact, many products that were initially purposely designed for people with disabilities ended up becoming tools that are embedded in everyday life. Some examples include:
This goes to show how inclusive design is universal. However, exclusive design is not. When we design products without taking into account the variety of ways people can participate in using them, we are exercising exclusion through design. On a small scale, this might seem trivial. But time and time again, success stories like OXO prove to companies that not only is there a great deal of revenue to be made when designing for accessibility, but that the needs of people with disabilities overlap with those of able-bodied persons. In 1990, the wheelchair ramp became a staple in urban design, making it more accessible for people on wheelchairs to move around the city. But it also made it easier for parents to stroll with their kids, for travelers to walk with their luggages, for people on rollerblades, skateboards, scooters and bicycles to cross streets. When urban designs take the conventional stance, communities of people are left excluded. Nowadays, architects and designers need to incorporate accessibility and inclusion in their thinking process, not as an optional or additional feature but as the foundational principles in design thinking. Sometimes, design is made exclusive on purpose to prevent a certain group of people from accessing it. Some beach resorts might be designed exclusively for adults, a business decision to provide a haven for parents and single adults, away from the noise of kids running around creating havoc. Other times, exclusive designs are created because of a lack of awareness or understanding of how to cater for people with disabilities. This results in preventing people with disabilities from participating in certain activities that bring them joy and a sense of belonging. Waterparks, playgrounds, theme parks catering only for able-bodied kids convey a message that kids with disabilities are not welcomed or that they shouldn’t play with others. Recent innovations by companies that are further proving the universality of accessible design Inspired by a man with cerebral palsy, Nike released their FlyEase laceless shoe. The shoe was created to remove the need to tie laces (something that is tricky for anyone) and even the need to bend over to put on the shoe. Although created for a niche market, the shoe has been purchased by people with different disabilities, pregnant women who can’t bend easily to put on their shoes, busy able-bodied people looking for shoes that are easy and quick to put on and take off, and by many others who simply liked the shoe’s functionality. DNS Designs is the product design company behind MagZip, a zipper with a magnetic base that makes it easier for people with physical challenges to zip up their jackets with one hand. Numerous brands including Under Armour, Moncler, Tommy Hilfiger, are now using this simple yet efficient solution to provide clothing that cater to people with disabilities but also to athletes on the run, busy adults and hurried kids. Microsoft is one of those big companies that are truly making a commitment to accessibility offerings over the past few years. The Xbox Adaptive Controller is one example of product design that helped users with visual, motor, auditory or cognitive disabilities join the gaming industry. Another great product they have recently launched is Seeing AI, a free app that reads text and narrates what is happening in the world around the user. This revolutionary product is aimed at helping people with low or no vision navigate the world better, but who’s to say that abled-bodied people won't find it useful in discovering and learning new things in their daily life. Many products that have been designed for people with disabilities have ended up being used by the broader population as well and incorporated into our everyday lives. Designing without an inclusive mind alienates a good portion of the global population whose needs need to be catered to. While, as we’ve seen, designing with inclusion in mind does not narrow down a target market to just people with physical or cognitive disabilities, it widens it. There is room for change. There is room for better design. There is room for inclusion for people with disabilities to participate more in all aspects of life.
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