This week’s reading, Design Meets Disability, made me realize how limited my understanding and awareness of design in this aspect was. I initially thought that design in functional contexts was mainly about creating something accessible for problem-solving. I also thought that disabilities were something people might feel worried or concerned about when it comes to appearance. What really stuck with me was the idea that disability can actually inspire mainstream design, not just be something that adapts to it. I was particularly interested when I read the discussion about glasses, as I never really thought of them as related to a serious disability, and that is because of how normalized they are nowadays. People who need glasses wear them openly, and they come in many different styles from different brands. Along with this, the example of the Eames leg splint showed how something designed under strict constraints for injured soldiers led to completely new techniques that later influenced furniture design. This made me understand that disabilities are not always limitations, but can actually lead to innovation.
Moreover, comparing this to hearing aids made the contrast very clear, where focusing too much on hiding them can limit both their function and how people feel about using them. This also made me think of different applications, and the one that stood out most to me was prosthetic arms and legs. They started off as very visible and mechanical, made of materials like metal or wood, but with improvements, they are becoming more realistic, and sometimes even designed in creative ways. I felt like this shows a combination of both hiding the disability and expressing design, which highlights how complex this topic can be. Overall, this reading made me realize that design is not just about fixing an issue, but also about experimenting and thinking beyond it. This connects a lot to the work we do, because I sometimes focus too much on making something work, without thinking about how I can push it further or make it more creative.