‘Amplify’ - a hearing aid designed by Alice Turner. A monochrome image of a model human ear with a rose-gold coloured and black device attached. Text adjacent to the ear reads “amplify. Designed to be seen.”
Alice Turner is a third year product design student at Central Saint Martins University specialising in inclusive solutions for disabled people who I have followed for a while on Instagram. At the time I found Alice's work her focus was developing hearing aids with the same philosophy that transformed spectacles from a device to help people with visual impairments into desirable eye-wear that is as responsive to the aesthetic whims of the consumer as a pair of shoes or winter coat. Link: Alice Turner - amplify.
Recently Alice posed a series of questions on Instagram Stories that invited followers to think about what community and inclusion mean to them. The first question is: "What does the word 'community' mean to you?" My short answer to fit the Instagram stories box was along the lines of 'people who you have regular enough contact with that you know they'd help you out if needed, and vice versa.'
In answering, I realised that I am part of two communities - probably more but two that are prominent. The first is the community of neighbours in the block of flats where I live, extending to other people in the local area. The second is my business network: other consultants, clients, architects and regular contacts. Both give a sense of mutual support through having a common interest.
My answer to one of Alice's questions surprised me and prompted this post: "What are the barriers to inclusion in your community?" I was certainly thinking about the access and inclusion community when I replied: "The expectation that disabled people are happy to contribute time, expertise, writing, participation at events etc, with no reimbursement."
A while ago I declined to contribute a chapter on making historic buildings accessible to a book about inclusive design because I disagree with the ethics of contributing to projects in return for ‘exposure’. This is mainly because it potentially excludes people who rely on being paid for work. Here's an extract from my reply to the book's compiler:
"I would expect a book about inclusive design in the built environment to include contributions by disabled people - 'Nothing about us without us' - but all too often hear from disabled people that they are expected to appear in media or to contribute their time, expertise and energy to projects like the book for no fee. Sam Renke described her experience of this in Metro in August 2020.” Link to Sam Renke’s Metro article.
Inclusive communities are much more than physical access into and around buildings, adaptations and translation. Communities evolve informally even within formal organisations according to location, common interest, occupation and friendship. Many people are excluded from community involvement by financial, physical and social barriers that must be removed to achieve inclusion. Alice's Amplify project is one of many that will make a difference, and I'm intrigued to know what the Community questions lead to.