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Zusatztext The strength of Designing Disability is the way significant moments in the history of access and disability are woven together with society’s perception and the design of a universal icon ... It is an impressively researched and thought-provoking text that leaves the reader wanting to closely follow the shifting social construct as history continues to unfold. Informationen zum Autor Elizabeth Guffey is Professor of Art and Design History and directs the MA in Modern and Contemporary Art, Criticism and Theory at the State University of New York, Purchase, USA. She was a founding editor of the journal Design and Culture , and is the author of books including Retro: The Culture of Revival (2013) and Posters: A Global History (2015). Klappentext Designing Disability traces the emergence of an idea and an ideal - physical access for the disabled - through the evolution of the iconic International Symbol of Access (ISA). The book draws on design history, material culture and recent critical disability studies to examine not only the development of a design icon, but also the cultural history surrounding it.Infirmity and illness may be seen as part of human experience, but 'disability' is a social construct, a way of thinking about and responding to a natural human condition. Elizabeth Guffey's highly original and wide-ranging study considers the period both before and after the introduction of the ISA, tracing the design history of the wheelchair, a product which revolutionised the mobility needs of many disabled people from the 1930s onwards. She also examines the rise of 'barrier-free architecture' in the reception of the ISA, and explores how the symbol became widely adopted and even a mark of identity for some, especially within the Disability Rights Movement. Yet despite the social progress which is inextricably linked to the ISA, a growing debate has unfurled around the symbol and its meanings. The most vigorous critiques today have involved guerrilla art, graffiti and studio practice, reflecting new challenges to the relationship between design and disability in the twenty-first century. Vorwort This compelling study provides a design history of disability, exploring how designers have responded to the needs of disabled people through designed products and symbols. Zusammenfassung Designing Disability traces the emergence of an idea and an ideal – physical access for the disabled – through the evolution of the iconic International Symbol of Access (ISA). The book draws on design history, material culture and recent critical disability studies to examine not only the development of a design icon, but also the cultural history surrounding it.Infirmity and illness may be seen as part of human experience, but ‘disability’ is a social construct, a way of thinking about and responding to a natural human condition. Elizabeth Guffey’s highly original and wide-ranging study considers the period both before and after the introduction of the ISA, tracing the design history of the wheelchair, a product which revolutionised the mobility needs of many disabled people from the 1930s onwards. She also examines the rise of ‘barrier-free architecture’ in the reception of the ISA, and explores how the symbol became widely adopted and even a mark of identity for some, especially within the Disability Rights Movement. Yet despite the social progress which is inextricably linked to the ISA, a growing debate has unfurled around the symbol and its meanings. The most vigorous critiques today have involved guerrilla art, graffiti and studio practice, reflecting new challenges to the relationship between design and disability in the twenty-first century. Inhaltsverzeichnis Acknowledgments Illustrations Introduction: Disability By Design? Design's Misfit Defining Disability Defining a Symbol PART ONE: History of...
