Designing for access

This exhibition was the result of partnerships between Craftspace Touring, young disabled people and professional designers.  Working as one of the designers, I worked with two visually impaired pupils at a Birmingham secondary school to help design and make a product that addressed issues with access and would facilitate independence.  Through a series of workshops we discussed aspirations they had for playing board games that through their current design proved impossible or required additional help.  By introducing subtle changes to the design of the draughts board through adding coloured lighting, texture and changing the height, we re-designed their game to give them a totally independent experience.

The project was developed by Craftspace Touring, funded by a Birmingham City Council Arts Education Award, involved pupils from Plantsbrook and Victoria Schools in Birmingham, and designers Electricwig (Tim Denton and Johanna Van Daalen), Noa Phillips, Rob Phillips and myself.

Exhibited at Symphony Hall and BBC Mailbox, and findings presented at Include 2005, it is now a touring exhibition.  www.craftspace.co.uk

Photograph copyright: Craftspace