Intrepid - Designing for Ability

EXPERIENCING WHEELCHAIRS
The issue of accessable height and usable
space is accentuated from the wheelchair
seat.
To gain a first person experience of
what it is like to use a wheelchair in the
real world, some fellow designers and
I headed out into the city to see what
day to day life is like from the seat of a
wheelchair.
Being in a wheelchair often results in
special treatment. This can be dehumanizing,
leaving disabled persons feeling like
second class citizens
We came to realise that the way we
have designed our world acts as a
constant reminder to a disabled persons
disadvantage. Simple tasks are
never simple. At the NGV their standard
elevator was broken, meaning we
had to use the freight elevator, requiring
security to escort us throughout the
gallery. There was a constant feeling of
dehumanisation from the way people
treated us, to the clinical and industrial
feel of disability services.
The experience taught me much about
the functionality of a wheelchair but
most importantly, it provided me with
the incentive and desire to try and
enable people with disabilities to get
outdoors and push boundaries instead
of staying constrained by their
wheelchairs. An example of this is
Bob Coomber, from California, USA
who has attempted numerous times
to cross the Sierra Nevada mountain
range. With a specially designed caravan,
Coomber’s adventures could be
much more achievable.
Small irregularities in the ground that are
commonly overlooked in day-to-day life
as well as the design process can become
testing obstacles.
Wheelchairs require large turning areas
which can become an issue in tighter,
more dynamic environments.
For disabled people in wheelchairs, life operates
at a different level to everyone else.
Small tasks like reaching for a tram button
or light switch are more complicated.
Maneuverability is also vastly reduced in
tighter spaces, making busy trams or small
caravans difficult and awkward.