What Can a Body Do?
But the most interesting creativity often results when there’s an unusual and urgent degree of friction in the meeting of body and world—whether that friction is born of capacity or history or demographic background.Sara Hendren
Overview: This book was absolutely fascinating. People with disabilities have always had to navigate a world that wasn’t designed for them, something I witnessed firsthand. I grew up watching my father, who was blind, constantly modifying and adapting his surroundings to meet his needs. Later, as a young adult working with individuals with significant physical, mental, and intellectual disabilities, I saw the same struggles play out in everyday life. I’ll never forget walking beside a man in a motorized wheelchair on a narrow, broken sidewalk with no curb cuts—his only route into town to access basic necessities. That path wasn’t just unsafe for him; it was unsafe for everyone. Sara Hendren explores challenges like these in her brilliantly insightful book. From furniture to campus architecture, she asks: “Must we accept and bend to the norms of the institution? Or can we insist, together, that the institution also bend for us?”
Who this book is for: Anyone interested in accessibility, universal design, or reimagining the built world to truly include everyone.
Key Takeaways:
- There’s no such thing as a “universal” design that works for everyone. Mass production and one-size-fits-all thinking often create more barriers, not fewer.
- Accessibility often emerges from the margins. When we design for those with the greatest needs, we end up improving life for the majority.
- Innovation often begins with friction—the obstacles that prevent people from accessing necessities spark creative solutions.
- Our communities are stronger when we value the unique contributions of every kind of mind and body.
- Every of us is constantly making conscious and unconscious choices, moment by moment, weaving together our own livable world.
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Where to buy: Click here to get your copy!