I have chosen to write about how it is possible to use design in order to minimize stigmatization and broaden the “normality” area for people with visible impairments. A visible impairment can for example be some physical signs from a person, such as weak limbs or arms. Additionally are assistive technologies such as a wheel chair or a cane a visible impairment. The problem with visible impairments is that it always tends to be stigmatizing in some way. For instance, it is easier for people to see a visible impairment and assume that he or she needs help or is just not like other “normal” people. In this essay I want to discuss about this problem and how one could work in order at least mitigate the problem through design.
Before discussing about how design can be used in order to help solve these problems it is important to understand the meaning of stigmatization and normality, this in order to understand the underlying cause of the problem. Stigmatization can be seen as a process where people are perceived to be different in any way, this by having for example special needs or using special tools. By requiring special solutions or having different needs it can build up a feeling for an individual of being different. The feeling is internal and it differs from person to person. The stigmatization problem is therefore both a societal problem and something that is created by the individual.
Normality is tricky to describe since it’s a word that can only be defined in relative terms. What does it mean to be normal and who decide what is normal or not? The difficulty lies in that something has to be normal in comparison to something else. To simplify the meaning of normality, I see it as the part of a population that lies in a socially accepted range of something. How can we then expand this socially accepted range for normality through design? I would argue that it is through design possible to change both the acceptance and understanding of different impairments in our society. The subsequent text will discuss different possible ways design can aid in the process of broadening the “normality” range and minimize stigmatization.
One way of reducing stigmatization through design is to aim for good and appealing design for assistive technologies. By changing the assistive tools to be more attractive it is more likely that people using them will feel better about themselves. Furthermore it’s possible that the change make “normal” people think more positively about the assistive tools. Since what is good looking is subjective it can also be a problem, but it can be solved by maybe let people customize their own tools? However, assistive technologies have many strict rules regarding safety, but it does not mean that it couldn’t have a personal touch such as a certain color for example? I think this could be something that strengthens the self-image for a person with a visible impairment, further can it make assistive tools more attractive and socially accepted.
Adding new personal touches to assistive technologies is one way of dealing with the stigmatization and normality problem, but there are much more that can be done. In our society today there exist many physical excluding barriers, such as heavy doors, doorsteps and street slopes. People with visible impairments might often be assumed to need help when encountering such barriers, maybe they sometimes need help but that is not often the case. If we design public spaces to be more accessible to everyone it can also aid in the process of reducing stigmatization. Example of different ways thoughtful design can help in public spaces could be to make more accessible entrances and exits in buildings, also facilitate transportation and include more people in the social service related activities. The goal should be to design a society that makes everyone feel like a member of the community and is able to do everyday tasks.
Maybe we don’t always need to invent new special or adapted solutions for certain impairments? I argue that many think that it is through adding new special or adapted solutions a problem will be solved. However, could it not be that the normal tools that are already in place works, but just need some modification? I think by adapting this kind of mindset it might help reducing stigmatization in a way, which is because it can reduce the amount of special designed solutions that are often the root cause of stigmatization.
I think that a large part of the stigmatization problem is not due to bad design, but rather it is about the overall attitude toward impairments. I argue that we as a society need to change the attitude and educate more people in the matter. However, I also think that a thoughtful design in assistive technologies can aid in the process of achieving a change in the attitude towards impairments, which is one way of achieving reduced stigmatization and broadening the normality area.
Non-excluding Design 