Design Meets Disability
This reading was probably my favorite out of all the pieces we’ve read so far. It shifted how I thought about design and its relationship to disability; before this, I had mostly seen assistive devices as purely functional tools but Pullin’s writing made me realize that it’s really not the case. He reframes assistive devices – i.e. hearing aid, prosthetic hand/leg, wheelchair – as opportunities for self-expression and avenues for celebrating individuality, the same way how eyeglasses have evolved into fashion statements. So much of design for disability has been shaped by a desire to hide and minimize differences and prioritized functionality over aesthetics. It has also often been suboptimally fulfilled through universal design where a product is overburdened with mediocre at best features that attempts to accommodate everyone’s needs, a concept which is perfectly summarized by the expression “flying submarine” in the piece. To bridge this disconnect between design and disability, the author argues that disabled people should participate in the design process as collaborators alongside engineers, designers and medical practitioners to actualize a true inclusive design for assistive devices that balance function with aesthetics, and embrace individuality over invisibility. The idea that inclusion is not just about access and compliance, but also deeply involves choice and self-expression, is one that I will remember and apply in the things I do now moving forward.