Design for the dis/ordinary

The talk addresses the topic of disability from a designerly perspective, calling for a shift in the attitude toward disability from a medical model which sees impairment as a personal deficiency to a sociocultural model which views disability as a socially constructed concept defined by environmental hindrances to everyday life.

Following the medical model of disability, assistive devices are brought to market with a minimal consideration of the cultural meaning, social impact, stigmatization and design aesthetics.

In the talk I will present design cases where disability is framed in terms of aesthetics, playfulness, and gendered body design.

The first case is a suite of smart jewels tailored to the needs of people with hearing impairment. The jewels sense environmental sounds (e.g. the doorbell, an alarm, someone calling, a car horn) and notify them to the wearer through different modalities (light patterns, vibrations, shape changes). An App completes the system allowing the deaf person to record personal meaningful sounds and set preferences for their notification.

The second case is an orthodontic facemask for children designed as a 3D printed super-hero mask made of biocompatible materials. It is associated to a game where a superhero avatar wearing a similar facemask gains power by progressing in an adventure.

The cases show that design can promote a cultural shift by transforming assistive wearables into beautiful, playful, gender-appropriate accessories.

Preview of the interactive jewels for deaf people:

www.quietude.it