In this video, Sinead Burke talks about how design is not suited for everyone’s needs and why it should. From the airport to clothing and chairs, she explains how difficult it is to live in a world where design doesn’t include everyone and it’s only useful for some. Everything that she said made me think about how the majority of designs are not made to meet everyone’s needs and by leaving people out we’re setting a barrier in our society. She talks about how design inhibits her autonomy and is a constant reminder of disability.
Design impacts our lives in so many ways, and if we’re making public spaces not fit to all the public it defeats its purpose. Especially public spaces should be accessible for everyone and by including people with different needs in the design process it can result in a more holistic product that can accommodate everyone’s needs and have an impact on our society in terms of inclusion. I completely agree with her when she says that design is a big privilege but a bigger responsibility and think that every designer should think about how certain small modifications on a design can make someone’s life much easier and make them feel included in the world.
