"Disability is when we are unable to adapt to the world as it is currently designed."
If we use this definition for disability, we find that we all have disabilities at various times. When this happens, we occasionally get a glimpse of understanding of what it is like to have a disability. However, a glimpse is all we really ever get. Even if we were to put on a blindfold, for example, and try to spend a day "pretending to be blind," being blind (or having any other type of disability) is a much more complex issue, involving societal and cultural issues as well as the functional and device-oriented issues.
When design products, it's clear that we can affect some of the functional aspects by making products easier to operate for individuals who are experiencing one or another type of disability (either temporarily or permanently). It is important to note, however, that how we implement the features can also affect some of the other social aspects of disability. For example, accommodations which are merely extensions of the "standard" design rather than "special disability features" not only allow an individual who is experiencing a disability to use the product, but also allows them to feel as if they are an intended user than a "patched on" user. It also allows them to use the product in a very natural way which does not require that they identify themselves as having a disability in the process. This can be very important for individuals who are older and who are losing their abilities, but find it difficult to accept the fact that they are "disabled," even when it's clear to others that they are having difficulty. (In fact, it is interesting to note that the only reason these people suddenly became "disabled" is simply because they are having trouble using the world around them. Individuals who are older and who are operating with reduced abilities -- which is everyone who is older -- are not considered to be disabled unless their abilities are reduced enough that they start interfering with their capacity to do what they want and need to do.)
The purpose of this section of the pavilion, therefore, is to help you to explore the different aspects of having a disability in order to better understand it. Current topics in this section are: