Design Directions Plus
Independence Days
Designing for self-reliant, independent living
In 1999, the Royal Commission on Long Term Care defined assistive technology as 'any device or system that allows an individual to perform a task that they would otherwise be unable to do, or increases the ease and safety with which the task can be performed'. What happens when the term 'assistive technology' is unpacked, its sometimes stigmatising connotations of dependency and disempowerment peeled away?
This project seeks to reinvent the term assisitive technology for the 21 century and asks how the design of a product or service can directly address the needs of someone living with a long term health condition, improve their quality of life, increase their autonomy and their ability to live independently. Importantly, how can design provide the means to increase and feed confidence, aspiration, participation and self-reliance.
Make sure you check out the Resources link below for support material.
This project is open to undergraduates, postgraduates and those in the first year following graduation.
Project brief (PDF 309KB, 4 pages)
Supported by:
