'Enable' is my final university project which consists of 3 smaller initiatives.
There are 16 million disabled people in the UK, many of whom face barriers every day which prevent them in fully participating in society.
Enable is a nationwide initiative supported by the UK Government, which seeks to empower and improve the lives of people with disabilities. Enable's approach revolves around raising public awareness and offering empowering services to individuals with disabilities.
The Enable Approach:
Disability Awareness in Schools
Enable provides educational resources to schools throughout the UK, incorporating disability awareness into the curriculum with engaging activities and lessons that promote a positive view of disabilities.
Public Awareness Campaigns
Enable will also shed light on disabilities to able-bodied members of the public to create empathy and understanding, making them more considerate to those around them.
Wheelchair Design Competition
Each year Enable will organise a competition for children to submit their wheelchair designs. Using the ‘Design a Wheelchair’ activity sheet from the educational resource pack, the most imaginative designs, no matter how unconventional, will be constructed in real life and displayed in public places nationwide.
The Enable App
The launch of an app will allow individuals with disabilities to identify locations suited to their needs, plan accessible journeys, giving them independence and freedom of choice while preventing them from encountering unexpected obstacles.
Disability Awareness In Schools
The Equality and Human Rights Commission found that 77% of disabled students in the UK have faced bullying at school.
68% of teachers who answered the survey reported that they had not received any training on supporting disabled students. - Scope
Prejudiced attitudes towards people with disabilities is a product of social conditioning, therefore it is crucial to install disability awareness from an early age. This helps to cultivate a mindset that embraces diversity and rejects judgement and discrimination, even if these biases are ingrained subconsciously. By teaching children to celebrate differences, we can lay the foundation for a more inclusive and accepting society.
User Testing
The Enable Resource Pack was tested at Nettlebed Primary School, with students aged 4-11, and received overwhelmingly positive reception and feedback.
The headteacher used the resource pack to conduct a whole school assembly, followed by individual classroom lessons where the students partook the interactive "design a wheelchair" activity.
Presentation included in the Educational Resource pack:
Design a Wheelchair Activity
Design a wheelchair competition
'The Public Inconvenience'
Less than 50% of the UK’s toilets are accessible, and 78% of people with disabilities avoid public spaces they’re not certain has an accessible loo.
This campaign offers a unique simulation installation experience designed to educate able-bodied members of the public about just some of the barriers people with disabilities encounter on a daily basis. By providing a firsthand experience that mirrors these challenges, the campaign aims to create a deeper level of empathy and understanding among participants.
Seemingly normal public toilets will appear in town centres across the UK. However, they have been altered to mimic some of the barriers that wheelchair users and people with disabilities face in their daily lives.
The user will enter the public restroom, initially thinking nothing of it. However, as they progress further, their frustration builds as they encounter narrow winding corridors, cramped stalls, high steps, and sinks and mirrors that are unnaturally tall.
The Enable App
49% of disabled people struggled accessing public transport, 51% struggled accessing shops and 56% struggled accessing leisure facilities. - Disability Rights UK 2019
75% of disabled people and their families had to leave a shop or business because of poor accessibility. - Scope 2020
The Enable app empowers individuals with disabilities to explore new, accessible locations with confidence and independence. Users can acquire valuable information about the accessibility of these places through photos and reviews, save locations to create inclusive travel itineraries, and even book accessible transportation options.
Enable App Interface
The Enable Grading System
Branding, Inspiration and Research
