Whether you are designing specialist furniture or involved in selling assistive technology, a perspective on the day to day life of your customers can offer an invaluable insight.
Three writers spend a day in the life of a disabled person to gain a new perspective on the challenges they face day to day:
Sophia Bannert
Sophia Bannert takes a tour round the city of Lincoln for an architecture prize from the University of California, Berkley, entitled ‘Architecture and the Accessible City’.
“Within a mere few hours of navigating Lincoln in a wheelchair, my basic human rights have been breached more than once.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-be-in-a-wheelchair-2013-5?IR=T
Raquel Siganporia
Barrister and wheelchair user Raquel Siganporia challenges 10 of her colleagues to spend a day in a wheelchair to highlight the challenges she faces living in London.
“The barristers were given a booklet so they could asses the high street they were about to visit to get an idea of how accessible they thought it was. Before they headed out it was rated as 7 out of 10 for access. Can you guess the rating given after completing the challenges?”
http://disabilityhorizons.com/2016/06/average-joe-spend-day-wheelchair/
Bob Barson
Architect Bob Barson goes to work for a day in a wheelchair and finds challenges at every juncture, from using the photocopier to finding space in the office canteen.
“Everything was a bit harder, everything was massively more inconvenient, and everything was viewed from a slightly different vertical elevation.”