One idea that really stood out to me from Design Meets Disability was the concept of the “golden hand,” especially in the contrast between traditional prosthetics and more expressive designs like Jacques Monestier’s.
What I found interesting is how this shifts prosthetics from something purely functional into something aesthetic and personal. It shows that design doesn’t have to choose between function and beauty it can combine both. As someone with a background in art, this made me think about how designers can transform assistive devices into something meaningful, almost like a canvas for self expression rather than just a medical tool.
Another thing that stood out to me was how the reading emphasizes that artists bring a different perspective to engineering. They focus not just on how something works, but on how it feels and what it represents. This made me reflect on our current Arduino project, where it’s easy to focus only on the technical side, but there’s also potential to incorporate materials and design to make it more visually and personally expressive. The reading also highlights that these designs shouldn’t just be treated as objects, but as personal belongings especially in the case of prosthetics, which are part of someone’s identity. That idea really shifted my thinking, because it suggests design should allow for individuality and expression, rather than trying to hide difference.