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Design meets disability

A manifesto that develops the argument for art-school trained designers to be involved (attracted to and invited into) disability-related design, a field which at present is dominated by engineering designers and clinical professionals. It argues that the deep cultural differences that keep the two apart, could actually be harnessed as creative tensions. Seven specific tensions are examined in turn–for example, in the chapter 'exploring meets solving', the complementary value of open-ended, even playful exploration, alongside the more traditional 'problem solving' which (understandably, given so many unsolved problems) dominates design for disabled people.

Its originality comes from juxtaposing two fields that are currently quite separate: of applying design sensibilities to assistive technology. Hugh Herr, who heads the Biomechatronics research group at the MIT Media Lab, has said "as a teacher of design through the lens of disability, Graham Pullin is without peer".

Its rigour could be said to come from two sources: firstly, by drawing on twenty five years involvement in disability-related design, with groups as respected, in distinct ways, as IDEO, the world-leading design consultancy where the author led a studio, and the Bath Institute of Medical Engineering, where the author held a research post. Secondly, it incorporates the opinions of 40 influential disabled people and designers, ending with discourses with respected designers about particular disability-related design briefs.

Its significance and potential impact are indicated by early reviews and invited keynotes. Don Norman, author of the The Psychology of Everyday Things, called it "a powerful, important book", The themes of the book form the basis of the author's invited keynote at RESNA, the world's leading conference for assistive technologies in Bellevue, Seattle, June 2013.