Independent Subject Specific Essay

Since the 1900s, design has evolved into a role and tool for social inclusion and human dignity beyond the simple pursuit of aesthetic perfection. Designers have recently been influenced by environmental protectionists, and now they approach their work based on long-term sustainability and empathy. In the early days of the design for the disabled, it mainly focused on solving welfare medical services or technical support problems, but this method was limited in recognizing the disabled as members of society. However, today's inclusive design is not viewed as serving others, but as a process of creating a society that understands and accepts diversity. This means the transition from charitable design to helping others to joint participation.

An important principle of universal design and inclusive design is to create an environment and product that can be used by all users without special modifications or help. In Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design, Cat Holmes (2018) emphasizes that good design begins at the point where it is excluded. In other words, modern designers are expanding their design in the direction of embracing social empathy and mutual understanding beyond solving functional problems. This article analyzes how modern designers are redefining this field through philosophical change, architectural and product innovation, and participatory ethics.

For a long time, design for the disabled has focused on a care-based or rehabilitative approach, creating separate designs for specific users, that is, the disabled or the elderly. However, Ron Mace (1985) introduced the concept of Universal Design with the goal of creating an infinitely adaptable environment and recognizing disability as a social design responsibility, not an individual's limit.

This perspective sets inclusion as a collective duty, not an individual, and reinforces the idea that well-made design should consider everyone equally. In modern times, inclusive design emphasizes autonomy rather than dependence. Holmes (Holmes, 2018) emphasizes the responsibility of designers, saying that inclusion begins with recognizing exclusion and that a system that emphasizes dignity should be built.

As an example of design, the widely loved Oxo Good Grips kitchen tools were originally designed for arthritis patients. Ergonomic handles help anyone with or without disabilities. This shows how design for the physically marginalized can be universally used. This shows that inclusive design does not distinguish between "disabled" and "non-disabled", and that they are equal members in a society where they live together. Theories focused on spatial and emotional recovery show that spatial relationships have a significant impact on the user's sense of stability and belonging. To solve this problem, designers are changing a static and isolated space into a participatory space for communication.

Objects or objects designed in modern architectural design are no longer passive, but automatic mediators. Cities like Seoul, Tokyo, and London show this change through barrier-free, inclusive street design that empowers people in a variety of conditions. For example, architect Rina Bo Bardi's SESC Pompeia (1982) transformed an abandoned factory into a community center that brings people from all backgrounds into it. Similarly, Seoul's barrier-free design movement is an essential part of urban culture and supports intimacy and inclusiveness. As a result, the space used by everyone is re-desized as a cultural sharing platform where the elderly and the disabled can participate freely and of their own will. In order to reshape the city based on furniture, an inclusive space is designed in the form of a social facility that everyone can access and share.

According to Steinfeld and Maisel (2012), universal design preserves the dignity of all users and eliminates the concept of "atty". This design reinforces equity and joint ownership, giving the perception that design has not just functions, but also ethical and cultural concepts. This design extends to product and furniture design, creating a big difference with just a small change. For example, IKEA's "ThisAbles" project (2019) created removable 3D printing parts that can be easily attached to furniture, making it easy for users with mobility or visual impairments to use. The project showed how inclusive design can be used by everyone through this technology.

Another notable example is the Eone Bradley Timepiece (2018). This watch using touch combines technology and design by allowing users to check the time through touch. Similarly, Nendo Studio (Japan) designed height-adjustable furniture for a variety of users, and the Universal Bench Project in Seoul allowed the seat height and backrest angle to be changed so that the elderly could easily sit and stand up. As Donald Norman (2013) argues in The Design of Everyday Things, good design aims to help human difficulties and aim for emotional and physical comfort. Such inclusive furniture is not just a thing, but also serves as a medium of dignity and help.

Inclusive design has been supported by institutions such as the Design Council UK and Design for All Europe (EIDD). Their initiative emphasizes that meaningful design requires not only superficial accessibility, but also co-creation with the disabled. By directly participating users in the design process, you can get a solution that can bring out functional and social empathy. However, many projects still use inclusion differently as a decoration or marketing strategy rather than ethical reasons. A truly inclusive design requires education, support infrastructure, and structural cooperation that allows people with disabilities to participate in all design stages. When this process is used from the early stages of design production, design becomes a medium to closely connect people and their daily lives.

Therefore, the current generation of designers is switching from design for others to the concept of design with others. This change transforms users from passive recipients to active participants and co-creators. Universal and inclusive design directly shows these changes. In other words, it shifts from focusing on support to a way that develops one's own strength. Today's "volume design", which combines aesthetic sensitivity and inclusive understanding, expands the boundaries of social experience, not limited.

Therefore, the future of design depends not on external beauty or technical precision, but on how many people can be connected and empowered to become one member. As Holmes (2018) reminds us, the starting point of a good design is the exclusion itself. It is to recognize exclusion, empathize, solve it, and turn it into an opportunity to connect. In the future design, design that prioritizes empathy over efficiency will lead the change into a society that performs the function of inclusion. After all, the success of the design will depend not on the appearance, but on the way in which everyone can feel a sense of belonging in the same society.

Bo Bardi, L. (1982) SESC Pompéia Architectural Notes. São Paulo.

City of Seoul (2023) Barrier-Free City Design Manual. Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Holmes, K. (2018) Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design. MIT Press.

Imrie, R. (2012) 'Universalism, Universal Design and Equitable Access', Disability & Rehabilitation, 34(10), pp. 873–882.

IKEA (2019) ThisAbles Project Report. IKEA Foundation.

Mace, R. (1985) Universal Design: Barrier-Free Environments for Everyone. Raleigh: NC State University.

Norman, D. (2013) The Design of Everyday Things. MIT Press.

Steinfeld, E. and Maisel, J. (2012) Universal Design: Creating Inclusive Environments. Wiley.

UN-Habitat (2022) Inclusive Cities for All Generations. United Nations.

Eone (2018) Bradley Timepiece Case Study. Eone Design Studio.q3

Oxo Good grips(1990s)

Nendo Studio(Tokyo 2017)

Design Council Uk(2021)/Design for All Europe(EIDD)(2004)