Week 12 Reading Response

Design meets disability

As I have stated in the previous reading response, one of the main priorities of design should be inclusivity. However, how we approach inclusivity also matters. The way eyeglasses have mutated from medical tool to fashion entity clearly demonstrates the multiple forms it can take in various social models. Ideally speaking, the design of the product should be implemented in a way that it does not imply any negative interpretations in different social models, but this is easier said than done. In any way the design attempts to cover or camouflage the disability would imply the idea that the disability should be something to be ashamed of, but highlighting the disability would also be counterintuitive as it could support segregation.

So how exactly should we approach inclusivity? I believe that the optimal way is to design the object so that it prioritizes functionality but also offers variety. Similar to glasses, regardless of the product in question, there should be different models or designs that could be utilized. This way, the consumer/user would have the opportunity to select according to their liking. This could also be used to counter argue against negative interpretations as it would mainly depend on the user. Design, in this sense, should be flexible, so that it could provide sense of compatibility to the user, which I believe is the ultimate goal of design.

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