Why design should include everyone
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0:01 - 0:03I want to give you a new perspective.
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0:04 - 0:07That sounds grandiose, and it is.
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0:08 - 0:09I left Ireland yesterday morning.
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0:10 - 0:12I traveled from Dublin to New York
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0:12 - 0:14independently.
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0:14 - 0:16But the design of an airport,
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0:16 - 0:19plane and terminal
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0:19 - 0:22offers little independence when
you're 105 and a half centimeters tall. -
0:23 - 0:26For Americans, that's 3' 5".
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0:28 - 0:31I was whisked through the airport
by airline assistants in a wheelchair. -
0:32 - 0:35Now, I don't need to use a wheelchair,
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0:36 - 0:38but the design of an airport
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0:38 - 0:40and its lack of accessibility
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0:40 - 0:42means that it's my only way
to get through. -
0:43 - 0:46With my carry-on bag between my feet,
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0:46 - 0:49I was wheeled through
security, preclearance -
0:49 - 0:52and I arrived at my boarding gate.
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0:53 - 0:56I use the accessibility
services in the airport -
0:56 - 0:59because most of the terminal
is just not designed with me in mind. -
1:00 - 1:02Take security, for example.
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1:02 - 1:05I'm not strong enough
to lift my carry-on bag -
1:05 - 1:07from the ground to the carousel.
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1:08 - 1:10I stand at eye level with it.
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1:11 - 1:15And those who work in that space
for safety purposes cannot help me -
1:16 - 1:17and cannot do it for me.
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1:18 - 1:22Design inhibits my autonomy
and my independence. -
1:23 - 1:26But traveling at this size,
it isn't all bad. -
1:27 - 1:30The leg room in economy
is like business class. -
1:30 - 1:32(Laughter)
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1:33 - 1:35I often forget that I'm a little person.
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1:35 - 1:39It's the physical environment
and society that remind me. -
1:40 - 1:44Using a public bathroom
is an excruciating experience. -
1:45 - 1:47I walk into the cubicle
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1:47 - 1:49but I can't reach the lock on the door.
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1:50 - 1:52I'm creative and resilient.
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1:53 - 1:56I look around and see if there's
a bin that I can turn upside down. -
1:57 - 1:59Is it safe?
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1:59 - 2:00Not really.
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2:01 - 2:03Is it hygienic and sanitary?
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2:03 - 2:05Definitely not.
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2:06 - 2:07But the alternative is much worse.
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2:08 - 2:10If that doesn't work, I use my phone.
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2:11 - 2:14It gives me an additional
four- to six-inch reach, -
2:14 - 2:17and I try to jam the lock closed
with my iPhone. -
2:18 - 2:22Now, I imagine that's not what Jony Ive
had in mind when he designed the iPhone, -
2:22 - 2:23but it works.
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2:25 - 2:27The alternative
is that I approach a stranger. -
2:28 - 2:31I apologize profusely
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2:31 - 2:34and I ask them to stand guard
outside my cubicle door. -
2:35 - 2:37They do
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2:37 - 2:39and I emerge grateful
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2:39 - 2:41but absolutely mortified,
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2:42 - 2:44and hope that they didn't notice
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2:44 - 2:46that I left the bathroom
without washing my hands. -
2:47 - 2:50I carry hand sanitizer with me
every single day -
2:51 - 2:57because the sink, soap dispenser,
hand dryer and mirror -
2:57 - 2:58are all out of my reach.
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2:59 - 3:02Now, the accessible bathroom
is somewhat of an option. -
3:02 - 3:04In this space, I can reach
the lock on the door, -
3:05 - 3:09the sink, the soap dispenser,
the hand dryer and the mirror. -
3:10 - 3:13Yet, I cannot use the toilet.
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3:15 - 3:17It is deliberately designed higher
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3:17 - 3:20so that wheelchair users
can transfer across with ease. -
3:21 - 3:25This is a wonderful
and necessary innovation, -
3:25 - 3:30but in the design world, when we describe
a new project or idea as accessible, -
3:31 - 3:32what does that mean?
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3:33 - 3:35Who is it accessible to?
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3:36 - 3:39And whose needs
are not being accommodated for? -
3:40 - 3:41Now, the bathroom is an example
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3:42 - 3:44of where design impinges upon my dignity,
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3:45 - 3:48but the physical environment impacts
upon me in much more casual ways too, -
3:49 - 3:51something as simple
as ordering a cup of coffee. -
3:52 - 3:54Now, I'll admit it.
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3:54 - 3:56I drink far too much coffee.
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3:56 - 3:59My order is a skinny vanilla latte,
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3:59 - 4:02but I'm trying
to wean myself off the syrup. -
4:03 - 4:06But the coffee shop,
it's not designed well, -
4:06 - 4:07at least not for me.
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4:08 - 4:10Queuing, I'm standing
beside the pastry cabinet -
4:10 - 4:12and the barista calls for the next order.
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4:13 - 4:15"Next, please!" they shout.
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4:16 - 4:18They can't see me.
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4:19 - 4:21The person next to me in the queue
points to my existence -
4:21 - 4:24and everyone is embarrassed.
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4:24 - 4:28I order as quick as I can
and I move along to collect my coffee. -
4:28 - 4:31Now, think just for a second.
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4:32 - 4:33Where do they put it?
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4:34 - 4:36Up high and without a lid.
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4:36 - 4:39Reaching up to collect a coffee
that I have paid for -
4:39 - 4:42is an incredibly dangerous experience.
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4:43 - 4:46But design also impinges
on the clothes that I want to wear. -
4:46 - 4:49I want garments
that reflect my personality. -
4:49 - 4:52It's difficult to find
in the childrenswear department. -
4:53 - 4:56And often womenswear
requires far too many alterations. -
4:57 - 5:01I want shoes that affect my maturity,
professionalism and sophistication. -
5:02 - 5:06Instead, I'm offered sneakers
with Velcro straps and light-up shoes. -
5:07 - 5:11Now, I'm not totally opposed
to light-up shoes. -
5:11 - 5:12(Laughter)
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5:13 - 5:16But design also impacts
on such simple things, -
5:17 - 5:18like sitting on a chair.
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5:19 - 5:22I cannot go from a standing
to a seating position with grace. -
5:23 - 5:27Due to the standards
of design heights of chairs, -
5:27 - 5:29I have to crawl on my hands and knees
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5:29 - 5:31just to get on top of it,
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5:31 - 5:35whilst also being conscious
that it might tip over at any stage. -
5:36 - 5:38But whilst design impacts on me
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5:38 - 5:43whether it's a chair,
a bathroom, a coffee shop, or clothes, -
5:43 - 5:46I rely on and benefit
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5:46 - 5:48from the kindness of strangers.
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5:50 - 5:51But not everybody is so nice.
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5:52 - 5:55I'm reminded that I'm a little person
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5:55 - 5:56when a stranger points,
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5:58 - 5:59stares,
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5:59 - 6:01laughs,
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6:01 - 6:03calls me a name,
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6:03 - 6:05or takes a photograph of me.
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6:06 - 6:07This happens almost every day.
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6:09 - 6:12With the rise of social media,
it has given me an opportunity -
6:12 - 6:16and a platform to have a voice
as a blogger and as an activist, -
6:16 - 6:19but it has also made me nervous
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6:19 - 6:21that I might become a meme
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6:21 - 6:22or a viral sensation,
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6:23 - 6:25all without my consent.
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6:26 - 6:29So let's take a moment right now
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6:29 - 6:31to make something very clear.
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6:32 - 6:34The word "midget" is a slur.
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6:35 - 6:39It evolved from PT Barnum's era
of circuses and freak shows. -
6:41 - 6:42Society has evolved.
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6:44 - 6:45So should our vocabulary.
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6:46 - 6:48Language is a powerful tool.
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6:48 - 6:50It does not just name our society.
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6:51 - 6:52It shapes it.
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6:53 - 6:56I am incredibly proud
to be a little person, -
6:56 - 7:00to have inherited
the condition of achondroplasia. -
7:00 - 7:02But I am most proud to be Sinead.
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7:03 - 7:06Achondroplasia is
the most common form of dwarfism. -
7:06 - 7:10Achondroplasia translates
as "without cartilage formation." -
7:11 - 7:14I have short limbs
and achondroplastic facial features, -
7:15 - 7:17my forehead and my nose.
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7:18 - 7:20My arms do not straighten fully,
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7:20 - 7:22but I can lick my elbow.
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7:23 - 7:24I'm not showing you that one.
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7:25 - 7:30Achondroplasia occurs in approximately
one in every 20,000 births. -
7:31 - 7:3480 percent of little people
are born to two average-height parents. -
7:35 - 7:39That means that anybody in this room
could have a child with achondroplasia. -
7:40 - 7:43Yet, I inherited my condition from my dad.
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7:44 - 7:46I'd like to show you a photo of my family.
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7:47 - 7:49My mother is average height,
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7:49 - 7:52my father is a little person
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7:52 - 7:54and I am the eldest of five children.
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7:54 - 7:57I have three sisters and one brother.
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7:58 - 7:59They are all average height.
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8:00 - 8:04I am incredibly fortunate
to have been born into a family -
8:04 - 8:07that cultivated
my curiosity and my tenacity, -
8:08 - 8:13that protected me from the unkindness
and ignorance of strangers -
8:13 - 8:17and that armed me with the resilience,
creativity and confidence -
8:17 - 8:22that I needed to survive and manipulate
the physical environment and society. -
8:23 - 8:27If I was to pinpoint any reason
why I am successful, -
8:27 - 8:31it is because I was
and I am a loved child, -
8:32 - 8:35now, a loved child
with a lot of sass and sarcasm, -
8:35 - 8:37but a loved child nonetheless.
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8:38 - 8:41In giving you an insight
into who I am today -
8:42 - 8:44I wanted to offer you a new perspective.
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8:45 - 8:47I wanted to challenge the idea
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8:47 - 8:50that design is but a tool
to create function and beauty. -
8:51 - 8:54Design greatly impacts
upon people's lives, -
8:55 - 8:57all lives.
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8:57 - 9:01Design is a way in which
we can feel included in the world, -
9:01 - 9:05but it is also a way in which
we can uphold a person's dignity -
9:05 - 9:07and their human rights.
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9:08 - 9:10Design can also inflict vulnerability
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9:10 - 9:13on a group whose needs aren't considered.
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9:14 - 9:18So today, I want
your perceptions challenged. -
9:19 - 9:21Who are we not designing for?
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9:21 - 9:24How can we amplify their voices
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9:24 - 9:25and their experiences?
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9:26 - 9:27What is the next step?
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9:28 - 9:31Design is an enormous privilege,
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9:31 - 9:33but it is a bigger responsibility.
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9:34 - 9:36I want you to open your eyes.
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9:37 - 9:38Thank you so much.
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9:38 - 9:42(Applause)
- Title:
- Why design should include everyone
- Speaker:
- Sinead Burke
- Description:
-
Sinéad Burke is acutely aware of details that are practically invisible to many of us.At 105 centimeters (or 3' 5") tall, the designed world -- from the height of a lock to the range of available shoe sizes -- often inhibits her ability to do things for herself. Here she tells us what it's like to navigate the world as a little person and asks: "Who are we not designing for?"
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 09:57
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Why design should include everyone | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Why design should include everyone | ||
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for Why design should include everyone | ||
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for Why design should include everyone | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz accepted English subtitles for Why design should include everyone | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Why design should include everyone | ||
Joanna Pietrulewicz edited English subtitles for Why design should include everyone | ||
Joseph Geni edited English subtitles for Why design should include everyone |