Disabled Space Essay: When We Design For Disability

When there is a hole in the sidewalk or a curb the majority of the population will walk around or step down. For a person a part of the physically disabled population however going around and especially going down a curb may not be an option. When creating and designing a used space it is important to consider the needs of all people within a community especially the physically disabled. Designing a universally accessible space is hard work and takes time but its benefits outway the costs. There are many disabilities in the world, some visible and some invisible to the human eye. According to Merriam-Webster the official definition of the word disability is “a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes
In a Ted Talk by Elise Roy called When We Design for Disability, We Design for All she talked about a pair of glasses she wore that would pick up the sound of a mechanic saw coming to a halt faster than the human ear and would wear these because she was deaf. She said “Why hadn't tool designers thought of this before? My unique experience of the world helped inform my solution,”. Along those lines, Chuck Hull who invented 3D printing probably never thought his design could help individuals with spinal cord injuries. Written in a study done by Alexandra A. Portnova and her partners she concluded that 3D printing could “provide orthotic solutions to pediatric populations and other groups with limited options,”. Looking at the bigger picture, working with the disabled community directly to create a accessible design would benefit everyone because experiencing the issue on a daily basis and helping to solve the problem is different than trying to figure out a solution by someone who has never encountered that issue
According to Suen written in an article by Jon Skinner “They often put too much emphasis on sleek, high-tech, clean looks—and it's not good for visibility, nor is it universally accessible,”. This article gives light to the fact that architects and engineers care more about the looks of the building rather than its functionality. Visual appeal not only means business but products sold as well. Bess Williamson stated in her article “Introducing universal design to a mass market, they implicitly acknowledged the presence of people with disabilities among the consuming public...In their public lives, however, these underlying principles did not always show,”. In this day and age functionality should be seen as a priority rather than the appearance of the