Disability is surely not a new concept that I have encountered. In fact, the course that I take right before my Intro to IM class is called “Dis/abilities in Musical Context”. However, this approach was something I had not met before: how design is crucial to suit people with needs.
Before reading this article, when debating upon the creation of devices for disabled people, I assumed that technicality would be above all else. For instance, if the hearing aid is not loud enough, it is basically useless to someone. Or if colorblind glasses do not work properly, that too would be a reason for colorblind people to neglect that product. However, by thinking this way, I diminished the importance of ‘design’.
One valuable lesson I learned is that design matters as much as technicality. If a product works, but is not fit for the person’s body, what much use is there to it? That was one question I failed to acknowledge before. And especially for disabled people, because their degrees of disability may vary (which may lead to different body shapes and sizes) it is also arduous to come up with one single design that can fit every disabled person.
I have learned, ultimately, that not only is design significant for certain aids, but it is definitely a hard task to complete as numerous obstacles are in the way.