It was inspiring to hear the speakers talk from their experience. Inclusivity is one thing the whole world is lacking, meaning there are many people that are not treated the same way because of their disability. In the short film, the disabled man suffered through commuting to places because he was in a wheelchair and New York City has 468 subway station and only 69 had wheelchair access. This was shocking to me because coming from a city like New York, Hong Kong’s subway stations have wheelchair/disability access in every station. I realized that for a big city and with a large population density, people should be aware of others who can function the same way as most people.
From my perspective, I related to one of the speakers that also had dyslexia. I understand the frustration she is going through and it is “normal.” When things are designed in a normal and original way, the items will become less desirable because it is not designed for everyone. As designers, we need to think outside the box and apply all the reasons for “why” we want to design and “how” we can design it so it is suitable for everyone. “Without people in our mind, design in blind” is one of my new favourite quotes because it is important to understand the sense of inclusivity.
In my opinion, I think the companies in the future will hire open-minded designers that focuses more on the inclusivity and how “normal” is the new chic. Creating a diversity of ways for people to participate in an experience so that people can have a sense of belonging is also important because that is how you include people with different capabilities.
With such a big environment, there are different areas within New York that experiences a variety of interaction. Some areas have a big population and some have a small community, no matter how different, there will always be a sense of community. Small inventions can create a better and friendlier environment because including everyone can bring the different abilities and disabilities together. The speaker who invented the seating aid called the Scallop greatly influenced the people who have physical difficulties to feel normal and supported, therefore, brings a sense of community.
