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I want to give you a new perspective.
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That sounds grandiose, and it is.
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I left Ireland yesterday morning.
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I traveled from Dublin to New York
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independently.
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But the design of an airport,
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plane, and terminal
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offers little independence when
you're 105 and a half centimeters tall.
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For Americans, that's 3'5".
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I was whisked through the airport
by airline assistants in a wheelchair.
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Now, I don't need to use a wheelchair,
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but the design of an airport
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and its lack of accessibility
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means that it's my own way to get through.
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With my carry-on bag between my feet,
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I was wheeled through
security, pre-clearance,
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and I arrived at my boarding gate.
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I use the accessibility services
in the airport
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because most of the terminal
is just not designed with me in mind.
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Take security, for example.
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I'm not strong enough
to lift my carry-on bag
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from the ground to the carousel.
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I stand at eye level with it.
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And those who work in that space
for safety purposes
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cannot help me
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and cannot do it for me.
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Design inhibits my autonomy
and my independence.
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But traveling at this size,
it isn't all bad.
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The leg room in economy
is like business class.
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(Laughter)
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I often forget that I'm a little person.
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It's the physical environment
and society that remind me.
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Using a public bathroom
is an excruciating experience.
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I walk into the cubicle
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but I can't reach the lock on the door.
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I'm creative and resilient.
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I look around and see if there's
a bin that I can turn upside down.
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Is it safe? Not really.
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Is it hygienic and sanitary?
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Definitely not.
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But the alternative is much worse.
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If that doesn't work, I use my phone.
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It gives me an additional
four to six inch reach,
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and I try to jam the lock closed
with my iPhone.
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Now, I imagine that's not what Jony Ive
had in mind when he designed the iPhone,
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but it works.
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The alternative is that
I approach a stranger.
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I apologize profusely,
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and I ask them to stand guard
outside my cubicle door.
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They do,
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and I emerge grateful
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but absolutely mortified,
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and hope that they didn't notice
that I left the bathroom
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without washing my hands.
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I carry hand sanitizer with me
every single day
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because the sink, soap dispenser,
hand dryer, and mirror
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are all out of my reach.
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Now, the accessible bathroom
is somewhat of an option.
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In this space, I can reach
the lock on the door,
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the sink, the soap dispenser,
the hand dryer, and the mirror.
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Yet, I cannot use the toilet.
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It is deliberately designed higher
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so that wheelchair users
can transfer across with ease.
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This is a wonderful
and necessary innovation,
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but in the design world,
when we describe a new project or idea
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as accessible,
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what does that mean?
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Who is it accessible to?
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And whose needs are not
being accommodated for?
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Now, the bathroom is an example
of where design impinges
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upon my dignity,
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but the physical environment impacts
upon me in much more casual ways too,
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something as simple
as ordering a cup of coffee.
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Now, I'll admit it.
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I drink far too much coffee.
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My order is a skinny vanilla latte,
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but I'm trying to wean
myself off the syrup.
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But the coffee shop,
it's not designed well,
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at least not for me.
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Queuing, I'm standing beside
the pastry cabinet,
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and the barista calls
for the next order.
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"Next, please!" they shout.
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They can't see me.
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The person next to me in the queue
points to my existence
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and everyone is embarrassed.
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I order as quick as I can,
and I move along to collect my coffee.
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Now, think just for a second.
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Where do they put it?
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Up high and without a lid.
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Reaching up to collect a coffee
that I have paid for
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is an incredibly dangerous experience.
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But design also impinges
on the clothes that I want to wear.
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I want garments that reflect
my personality.
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It's difficult to find in
the childrenswear department.
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And often womenswear requires
far too many alterations.
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I want shoes that affect my maturity,
professionalism, and sophistication.
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Instead, I'm offered sneakers
with velcro straps and light-up shoes.
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Now, I'm not totally opposed
to light-up shoes.
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But design also impacts
on such simple things,
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like sitting on a chair.
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I cannot go from a standing
to a seating position with grace.
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Due to the standards
of design heights of chairs,
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I have to crawl on my hands a knees
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just to get on top of it,
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whilst also being conscious
that it might tip over at any stage.
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But whilst design impacts on me
whether it's a chair,
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a bathroom, a coffee shop, or clothes,
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I rely on and benefit
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from the kindness of strangers.
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But not everybody is so nice.
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I'm reminded that I'm a little person
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when a stranger points,
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stares,
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laughs,
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calls me a name,
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or takes a photograph of me.
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This happens almost every day.
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With the rise of social media,
it has given me an opportunity
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and a platform to have a voice
as a blogger and as an activist,
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but it has also made me nervous
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that I might become a meme
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or a viral sensation,
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all without my consent.
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So let's take a moment right now
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to make something very clear.
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The word "midget" is a slur.
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It evolved from PT Barnum's era
of circuses and freak shows.
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Society has evolved.
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So should our vocabulary.
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Language is a powerful tool.
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It does not just name our society.
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It shapes it.
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I am incredibly proud
to be a littler person,
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to have inherited the condition
of achondroplasia.
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But I am most proud to be Sinead.
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Achondroplasia is the most
common form of dwarfism.
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Achondroplasia translates as
"without cartilage formation."
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I have short limbs
and achondroplastic facial features,
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my forehead and my nose.
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My arms do not straighten fully,
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but I can lift my elbow.
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I'm not showing you that one.
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Achondroplasia occurs in approximately
one in every 20,000 births.
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80 percent of little people are born
to two average height parents.
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That means that anybody in this room
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could have a child with achondroplasia.
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Yet, I inherited my condition from my dad.
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I'd like to show you a photo of my family.
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My mother is average height,
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my father is a little person
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and I am the eldest of five children.
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I have three sisters and one brother.
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They are all average height.
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I am incredibly fortunate
to have been born into a family
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that cultivated my curiosity
and my tenacity,
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that protected me from the unkindness
and ignorance of strangers,
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and that armed me with the resilience,
creativity, and confidence
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that I needed to survive and manipulate
the physical environment and society.
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If I was to pinpoint any reason
why I am successful,
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it is because I was
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and I am a loved child,
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now, a loved child with a lot
of sass and sarcasm,
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but a loved child nonetheless.
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In giving you an insight
into who I am today
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I wanted to offer you a new perspective.
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I wanted to challenge the idea
that design is but a tool
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to create function and beauty.
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Design greatly impacts
upon people's lives,
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all lives.
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Design is a way in which we can feel
included in the world,
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but it is also a way in which
we can uphold a person's dignity
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and their human rights.
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Design can also inflict vulnerability
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on a group whose needs aren't considered.
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So today, I want
your perceptions challenged.
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Who are we not designing for?
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How can we amplify their voices
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and their experiences?
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What is the next step?
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Design is an enormous privilege,
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but it is a bigger responsibility.
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I want you to open your eyes.
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Thank you so much.
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(Applause)