Build an Eco-system to include rather than exclude
As part of the Service and Experience design workshop we have had to work in the context of building a future perspective on how to develop a livelihood platform ,so persons with disabilities can have access to all the resources they require so as to be active citizens. People with Disabilities in the course of their onward march in life may encounter several challenges at each level which can only be addressed by unlocking many “doors”. As designers can we do something to re imagine a future where people with disabilities can be at par with the non disabled population of India?
This context was indeed challenging and thought provoking. As we glanced at the doors that needed to be unlocked at different levels we realized that each door could further lead to more and more complicated doors. The first lock was “Overcome Stigma”. We as a team feel that this is the first and foremost barrier that has to be overcome. What exactly is Stigma? Why is there a change in attitude towards people with disability? What is the root cause of prejudices and stereotypes. We began our research to find the answers.
According to Corrigan and Watson, there are three concepts that are associated with stigma, stereotypes that are negative social knowledge structures that predetermine our attitudes, prejudice, which is the cognitive and effective response that develops when a person or group endorses negative stereotypes; and discrimination, which is the behavioral reaction once prejudice sets in.
Biggest inability is the inability of mind
The visit to Enable India and the Talk by Julian made us ponder over certain school of thoughts and beliefs. “The biggest inability is the inability of mind” It is easy to notice disabilities of a person but coming up with solutions require more exposure and effort at close examination. “Better empathy than sympathy” We all are disabled in some way or other but our inabilities are invisible because solutions for those inabilities are readily available.
“Your legs don’t work, so you are disabled. Actually you are not disabled by your legs not walking you are disabled by the infrastructure and the cities and the towns that are built with stairs and without ramps.We are all aggregates of things that we do really well and things that we do really poorly. Maybe the things that we do well are the things that culture wants, and what we don’t do well are the things that culture doesn’t want us to do.” — Sara Hendren
A friend of mine recollected her encounter with a visually challenged person who was supposed to interview her for a job placement. She explained the series of emotions she underwent ranging from utter shock to amazement. She was shocked initially but later shock gave way to wonder when the person pointed out certain matters that an able person who accompanied him could not spell out.This triggered thoughts in me. Why do we have preconceived notions and stereotypes about people with disabilities? Why do we assume what they are capable of and what they are not? Is it because we don’t try to interact and engage with them to better know them? These thoughts paved way to the concept of Inclusion.
These insights again made me wonder, What if there is a system that is embedded in our own community or society which will help the able people to see how they are similar to people with disabilities?. Then the focus will be more on the abilities and not inabilities. I feel that understanding what the other person is capable of will definitely help in crossing out some of the baseless assumptions and prejudices.
Cooperative Vs Capitalist
We had to explore the cooperative and the capitalist model of the system by mapping out the different stakeholders and their motivations. In a cooperative model all the stakeholders involved must have a say in the implementation whereas in capitalist model the authority remains in few hands. In our proposed system attaining sustainability was a challenge in our proposed cooperative system model. The motivation of the stakeholders for involving in a cooperative model did not have a solid ground which might lead to further complications in sharing benefits and also achieving financial sustainability. Bringing together people from multidisciplinary backgrounds and keeping them motivated throughout the system process again increases the complexity of a cooperative model. As a result, we decided to go for the Capitalist model where the Able Way organisation is in charge of the making decisions and empowering the Care force group to take the system forward even after they step back. Attaining Financial sustainability was easier in a capitalist model but social sustainability was again a challenge.Through the mapping process our team realized that all the stakeholders need not have a say in the implementation of the system. This activity gave me a better understanding of the cooperative and the capitalist models and the challenges involved in each.
Meta Design- Creating an ever evolving service system.
Our team believes in the concept of Meta design where designing an open system where users themselves are co-designers can ensure the sustainability of the system in the long run. Any service system cannot be static. It should be able to accommodate the changes demanded by its users. Only such a flexible system which allows for trial and error will be sustainable in all aspects. So in the proposed design we have tried to apply the principles of Meta Design by equipping the Care force, training them to take the service system forward when the Able Way organisation ends its project in that particular gated community. Hence the Care Force group continues to recruit more people, train them, conduct activities, motivate other Care Force teams and keep on working towards creating a sustainable inclusive Eco-system.
Overall the Workshop was very enriching and insightful, the context of engaging with People with disabilities had a profound impact on me changing my perception. All the tools and mapping methods learned during this workshop are very helpful in discerning the complexities of analyzing and designing service systems.
The process documentation is here
