the fragile world of diversity

by Josh Hannagan
The words ‘inclusion’ and ‘exclusion’ are thrown around and used to suggest a new way for society to approach disadvantaged and disabled groups of people. Through our inter-dependence project we have picked up and expanded on the concept of inclusiveness and found that inclusive society is entirely about maximizing peoples life chances.

You may have found your life was going very well until one day something very unfortunate happens. You became ill or even had an accident and you can no longer enjoy life as you used to. Simple everyday actions suddenly create small problems and you now have to rethink every movement. You may have to rely on other peoples help and not everyone is as accepting to others as they should be. Our project involves a way of creating a public awareness about the diversity of our society, the physical and social barriers associated with close-minded design and embracing new ways of designing for all. Fundamentally it is about creating equality.

Freedom Movement

The posters I created were produced in order to increase awareness in the general public to help overcome many of the common misconceptions about inclusive design.
I was trying to create a positive feel to the posters in order to evoke positive emotions across the board, while also opening eyes to the world of diverse needs and lives. Originally this was done through bright eye catching colours, but the end outcome was more of an explosive, in-your-face piece that is simple and direct.
The statement “ride the freedom movement and escape the stifling confines of the average” was taken from EIDD’s Liberate Diversity Manifesto. I felt it had a strong emotional impact – it immediately registers with the user that the ‘average’ is constraining to many with disabilities and very closed-minded. It also takes on a rebellious charm by protesting about the average by joining a ‘movement’.
The aim of my final poster is to enable all people to have equal opportunities and to participate in every aspect of society, transforming special interest into public interest.