One of the most interesting points Pullin makes in his book is the idea that lots of design standards around disability is to cover it up rather than embrace it or emphasize it. There is always a strong push towards “normalcy” in the design world. His example of how glasses went from medical necessities to a fashion item; I believe most people may acknowledge someone wears glasses out of necessity but we also subtly know that the style of glasses they wear is also an expression of themselves. I imagine as prosthetics become more advanced and fine-tuned, humans will find a way to embrace these tools as more than just their functions but also introduce an expressive layer to them. An easy example of how that might look is if someone needs a prosthetic arm, they might want a prosthetic arm that resembles their favorite prosthetic-using character in fiction (like Edward Elric, Luke Skywalker, or even Guts). This agency and idea of co-design can empower non-able-bodied folks.
Pullin actually mentions that prosthetic arms are much more intimate than prosthetic legs; arms inherently serve more than their function, and it’s not just about nails, veins, or perceived texture. If it’s trying to resemble a fleshy human arm, it creates a serious sense of disappointment and is often off-putting. Pullin mentions the best approach here is often to NOT hide the fact that the arm is artificial and instead emphasize it while giving the functions of a fleshy arm. This was all really interesting to me, especially his example of how certain clients of Monestier would hate the feeling when the hand would initially fool new acquaintances until they had their moments of realization.
As I read this article, I thought about how prosthetics in fiction are often romanticized. A sick metal arm that can turn into a cannon or extend out to become a grapple hook are often framed as “upgrades” but I imagine not having complete dexterity and fleshiness creates quite a sense of void that most fiction rarely explores. I thought of this as a connection to last week’s reading on a “Brief Rant on the Future of Interaction Design”, which I also thought was very insightful. There must be an inherent, strong emotional gap on prosthetic function and feeling, and I think our portrayals of disabled characters in media could use some more commentary on losing their sense of touch.
