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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ก.ค. 2017
- Sinéad Burke is acutely aware of details that are practically invisible to many of us. At 105 centimeters (or 3' 5") tall, the designed world -- from the height of a lock to the range of available shoe sizes -- often inhibits her ability to do things for herself. Here she tells us what it's like to navigate the world as a little person and asks: "Who are we not designing for?"
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Sinéad went to my primary school. I didn't know her too well, as she was a year or so above me. I do remember how popular she was, and how genuinely kind and bubbly and friendly she was. Everyone in the school loved her, especially the teachers. She had such a wonderful personality & it's amazing to see her doing so well!
People can think she is being unreasonable and isn't suggesting solutions, but she is literally just expressing her perspective on how design affects her every day life as someone who is unique. Brava. We are reminded that not every human goes through the same every day things with ease. Take your ease of life not for granted.
palacsintakat If I wanted whine I'd visit a market.
Where I'm sure you could easily reach the bottle you wanted and check out with ease and drive a car with no modifications home to your normal house that didn't have to be modified to you. She wasn't whining she was expressing her hardship. Now you are just whining about voluntarily having to listen to it?
palacsintakat What is the difference between "expressing hardship" and just complaining at length about something? Her life is harder than mine in certain aspects but that doesn't mean she should go up on a stage and just complain. She didn't offer any viable solutions for her issue, she just made some bland emotional appeals that ultimately amount to nothing.
It seems like one low cost and easy to implement solution for some of the situations she described is to have a collapsable or easy to store stool in places like bathrooms, coffee shops, etc. This wouldn't benefit just people with dwarfism, but could be used by young children so that they can do things in public spaces without needing help from an adult.
I know when I go out with my friend and her family, my friend or I have to hold up her kids so that they can wash their hands. They know how to wash their hands on their own, but because they are still too short, they need assistance to do it. And, I know her kids would love to be the ones to retrieve mom's drink order and feel more responsible and get mom's praise. But, there is no way they are tall enough to do that yet.
You're absolutely right, and when we tried it, our folding stool was stolen within 24 hours. We couldn't solve the problem of making it accessible, but also making it secure.
Left-handed people are almost 10% of the world's population, and even with the occasional desk we aren't catered for. 1 desk out of 50 in a class, the layout of a kitchen is backwards, I can't use a left handed scissors due to only encountering my first one at 24. There are a lot of alternative needs and they all clash at some point, it's a difficulty that architects have to consider.
Ashley Feawen You had the weird asymmetrical desks? In my country we use tables, and when there's a left-handed, well. Either they are at a one-person table (in which case there's no problem), or they share a two-persons table with (most of the time) a right-handed. The last case becomes a non-issue just by having the right-handed on the right, and the left-handed on the left, so the elbows don't bump. It also helps deal with the asymmetrical issue (which is non-existant).
So yeah, a problem that could be solved quite simply (save for the funds issue to change all the desks/chairs).
I'm ambidextrous so the left-handed thing has never really been an issue for me, but my best friend is left-handed, and she'd totally understand your issue. It's so simple, could be modified pretty easily at least half the time... But yeah, here we are.
(Sorry if I come off as rude or callous, it's not my intention. I didn't know how to convey the idea in a proper fashion, so I rambled instead haha)
Ashley Feawen hello fellow lefty! I think its good we live in a righty world because that makes us slightly more ambidextrous than the common righty. Being ambidextrous helps you recover from strokes and makes you a cooler human in general. Sometimes using righty scissors on your left hand can be a bit uncomfortable at times though :P
What do u mean the desks r tables with slots underneath and separate chairs or y9ga balls or wheelchairs, were I live
IHateHaters i am ambadextrious, i always had to switch hand when writing because i write 10 pages 4 a short story so hello fello person
You can't use left handed scissors? So you learned how to use right handed scissors just fine but everything else is such an inconvenience. I'm a lefty also but understand that if I make desk and want to make money, I make desk to appeal to the most people.
Everybody has missed the point and her intentions with this video. I don't think she is asking for every design in the world to be catered for her. I think she is smart enough to know that it wouldn't make sense to cater to her and not everyone else. I think she is trying to inspire people by asking them to "open their eyes" or look differently to find any idea that is actually affordable and comfortable for short people and tall people because we have not thought like that before. We don't have the ideas yet, and she doesn't say that she does either, but this speech is targeted at innovators and designers. I'm sure there are designs such as these that are yet to be realised and created. Again, it's not giving solutions and answers- it's beginning the conversation so that we might find them- which she has obviously done successfully.
Henry Hui why not?
What I'm astounded by is not the arguments that such design would be impractical, which it probably is, considering the numbers. But she SPECIFICALLY said that 'midget' is a hurtful slur, yet I see it used again and again in the comments to refer to the speaker. Disgusting.
+
The simplest solution is to include stepping stools in bathrooms for the sink. Then also include a wrap-around step over the toilet to get up, which also allows regular-height people to utilize if they wish to squat to defecate (it helps align the bowels).
I wish there were some examples or solutions given in the talk. I don't think it's unsolvable but I'd like it if you got the ball rolling for us. Like this is why it's easier than you'd think to accommodate small person needs. Or we can do it with some additional support. Just convince people it's a simple change and they'll become way more open to accommodation.
nickjoeb True, that would have been more productive.
She's not there to give any solutions, she's there to be a token on TED's virtue signalling portfolio
nickjoeb She kind of did mention something - empathy. Where design ends, human interaction begins. One wheelchair-using student in my uni was carried by classmates every time they had a certain class because it was situated in an old building without elevators. Everybody did what had to be done while quietly recognizing the shortcomings of our institution.
Yeah but telling a-holes to be nice doesn't do much if that's your whole message then it's kind of pointless. If the message is to designers and people who make infrastructure then it has some relevance but you need to get ideas out there. As a piece on don't forget about me or discount me it's a fine talk I just wish there was more. If you say do this to help I can make that message heard in my local gov. If it's be nice to people I already do that and people who aren't probably aren't going to listen to this video.
She mentioned a bucket. Actually, I saw a small stairs for kids, that
you can take and place wherever you need, in some bathrooms. Small change, but very practical. They should be everywhere.
Everyone in the comment is saying how infeasible it is. While it is true that it's not logical to have all public areas to accommodate for the minority, it might still be nice if some stuff are, like chairs and clothing. She's just saying, "Hey, keep me in mind when you're designing." I know as an engineer, most of the time, we completely overlook dwarfism in the brainstorming phrase. It would be one thing to had brought it up and then go "it's not feasible." However, that has not been the case.
In addition, you gotta admit it was a well written speech. You can tell she's proud of who she is. It's also presented with eloquence.
Everyone (with actual physical disabilities) can be accomdated to with the right amount of funds and architectural ingenuity. But there will still be certain situations that require help. Unfortunately going through an airport is, I'm sure, but one trial they must go through. The bigger problem is people without common sense or empathy.
I saw her on a talk show, she is a beautiful person. I have little people who I know and it's amazing what they can do.
Oh my fucking god, a person has the absolute fucking gall to politely ask that they be taken into some kind of consideration! This is an outrage!
Why should she have to create any solutions? Informing people that there is a problem is where her responsibility ends.
Buenos días sería posible incluir subtitulos en español gracias
Design is a huge challenge, like the example she brought up with her needs against someone in a wheelchair in regards, there is also the issue with elevated sidewalks that are an issue for wheelchares but a huge safety measure for blind people who cannot miss that as where the street is. So, it is not easy to balance between the needs of all people, but it is important to know at least of those things when designing things!
한국어 번역본은 어디서볼수있나요?
What an amazing person! You are a truly inspirational woman.
Oh come on. I'm in a wheelchair and everything is super difficult but let's be practical. You can't make everything perfectly accessible for everyone. People like us are in the minority and thus it's too expensive and impractical to make everything perfect. Society is getting better and almost everyone I meet is helpful but don't be whiny. You complain about these things but think about how hard it is for people to build these things when they're rarely used because there are so few of us. I know what this girl goes through to a point. Yes, certain things are hard or impossible but that's just life for people like us. It's not society's fault. It's the brutally honest, sad truth.
Brave of you to say that Cody and I agree. I am not limited in any way and feel insensitive for thinking what you just said.
cody piscitelli those are some very sound words
It's the truth. I live by myself and it's super difficult but I manage. Sure, I can't do a lot of things I'd like to but that's not anyone else's fault. Like I tell people, it's about being creative. I have grabbers all over my apartment so I can reach things. I made a special strap for my legs that makes it easier to pick myself up off the ground when I fall. I have a board I can put from my wheelchair to a seat like in an Uber if I can't just lift myself in. I understand this woman's point and she presents it well but as I stated, it's the sad reality that it's up to us to make things better. Sure, some things should be more accessible but city planners are working very hard to do that and I think they're doing a pretty good job. Most infrastructure is old and cannot easily be changed to suit us.
YOu have a great attitude about it Cody. And the creative can-do attitude will get you a lot farther than asking someone else to change things for you. Adapt and solve the problems on your own is a much better approach in my opinion.
the solution is to have someone that helps people like that in places like airports or train stations
i personally would always carry a box, where i can stand on, but i understand that it might be difficult still.
If you study Product Design or Design Theory, designers already desgin as best they can for every person, using the 5th, 50th and 95th percentiles. For example, a door way is as high as it is for the taller people, the 95th percent, light switches and power outlets in modern homes are low down for people bound in wheel chairs and for shorter people/children, the 5th percentile. But in public spaces, things like chairs, toilets, tables are at the heights they are so that most people can use them, the 50th percentile, some people like this woman are unfortunately left out of this grouping, but public design can only cater to a set extreme before it effects the majority of people.
you are inspiration for me
I agree that we can't just change everything in the world to accommodate every single person. But that isn't really what she's saying here. She's asking us to think about those we are forgetting in every day life. There are people who wake up every single day and have to navigate problems that some of us will never even think about.
When you're only taught to accommodate the majority, you miss out on a lot in life. And so do the people around you who are not the majority.
i would wonder if those that are not "standard" heights and shapes, would object to devices or out of the way prosthesis to use when in an environment not designed around them. i will be be honest, it is not possible to accommodate every body type on this planet, but, as an engineer, i am willing to help design the devices to make Burke's life easier in my 6'2" world.
literally stilts, possibly some kind of grabber arms for reaching, maybe a quarter staff too.
quarter staffs are
cool, you can even role play as a knight, maybe even a paladin!
❓❓One question: Why wouldn’t her coffee cup have a lid on it? I get that even with a lid it could be dangerous but here in the US whenever you order a coffee to go (which is most orders) it automatically has a lid. Is this a UK thing where they don’t offer lids? Seems dangerous (for anyone) to not have a lid on what is often scalding hot coffee. Anyone know? Thanks! ❓❓
I do think this should be a more thought about subject in general, not just design, but consumerism, and the death of individuality. I am mixed with green eyes, and although they sell in my country eye shadows and mascara of blue, pink, white, black, purple, nearly every color, green is nearly impossible for me to attain. It is above frustrating that just in general, whether it is conditioner, ice cream, eye shadow, or clothing in my shape, that the concept of one size fits all still exists. Consumerism only works for the majority, and thus, it is understandable that we lose individuality in favor for the majority, however, when you have dark skin and can't buy coverup, or have short legs and can't buy jeans, when most of the population have some difficulty with some aspect of that consumerism, but just accept it, it seems illogical, to say the least. Niche markets are dying. We will lose those products, perhaps forever, if this system of the majority is always right persists.
Um aprendizado para um olhar acessível.. estamos longe de uma inclusão..Mas estamos lutando..👊💪
just a question related to english word. 'call sb names' is making fun of sb, but why did she say call me a name? why not call me names?
Walk tall despite it all, Ma’am. More power to you and other little persons!
And here I am at 1.70 (5'7) complaining that I'm tall 🙄🙄🙄
I am appalled by some of the negative comments for this speaker. I think she is awesome!
I am an occupational therapist by trade and a 2 timer on the TEDx stage. You are absolutely awesome! Thanks for the courage of speaking up on the issues you faced every day. You are absolutely right... because we have to do better... even with concepts such as universal design exists. We have to take account for everyone in design. There are people out there who can help make a difference in accessibility for all (such as people like myself). This message needs to be heard broadly and loudly globally.
Once again... great job! Your stories are important to us! Thank you.
What a beautiful and lovely lady! Really eye-opening speech! Thank you!
Is she the girl from the Hibernia College primary school teaching video ?
Someone should make a wheeled bag which doubles as a step stool. You need a bag anyway when travelling and shopping, which covers most of these situations.
I really enjoyed this talk and totally inspired by Sinead but.....redesigning our world is a costly big deal and unfortunately design can be inclusive and accessible but not to everyone until we come to have fully adaptive in real time environments. My question then would be would it not in such case, at the moment be better to consider energy being put into self adaptability through technological wearable tools or equipment to address current issues? That way it's an individual course of action until a time when we can act collectively to meet everyone's needs not through set designs but multiple optioned designs in our environment.
she is over a meter tall she is pretty unlucky to find so many locks for toilet cubicles that are way above a meter off the ground.
i can see how many of these things are hard for her. for example collecting your bags is not that easy even for a normal sized person because the bags are heavy, but normally these things are below the height of my knees, in fact never seen one that was really high up.
she is very sweet, I have worked with many little people in my life.
I agree with all she said.
Ooh baby! Mmmmmmm!
Couldn't they just put some sort of step stool in the bathroom ? Maybe with a chain attached so it can't be pulled out. Kids could use it too.
very well spoken!!
There are beautifully designed lightweight strap on stilts available. You could always start there 👍As a builder I use them outside of the workplace as well if ever I require extra height. You'd be surprised at the positive comments I get. 😎
Vocabulary evolves as well as society. Words and their meanings change constantly. Though the word midget comes from an offensive place, that's not what it means now. It's just a word to describe people who were born smaller. Design has to have the majority in mind. Are you going to design for the most people or have a tiny minority impeded? Your problems could be solved by...? Do you have an idea or do you want society to be shamed into thinking of your problem and solving it for you? What's the point of this talk? Feel bad that you don't think of the "little people"? If I was in your situation, I'd just carry a stool around: legs in front and strapped around like a backpack. It's necessary and not embarrassing. I don't know why you're so concerned if others are embarrassed. As a teenager, I stopped caring as I learned to accept myself for who I am. You're an adult, aren't you?
This is probably one of my favorite ones.💙
People are very stuck in their ideas. I feel like we could create things that are adjustable or use different shapes.
great talk
I think she should start consulting with companies and creating solutions. Like start a clothing line create a small set of ladder steps to reach the counter.
좋은 글과 사진들이 참 많네요. 소통해요!
Get down! U rock for the new perspective. Smiles TCS
instead of forcing the world to conform to your needs, you need something to help adapt to the world, as the amount of money required to accomidate the very very few that can't cope approaches copius amounts of money.
the proper solution to this should instead be to create a line of goods that help the small cope, such as a multi tool that allows oneself to grab things that are out of reach, including cups of liquids. they already have things like these on the market, some are so cheap that they are considered children's toys. however, for someone that has an actual daily need for a grabbing tool would want one with articulate fingers.
I see her point but it's just not realistic to accommodate everyone, we can't have it all. However, I am sympathetic to her circumstances.
Sure, some needs of one group might be directly opposed to the needs of others, but that doesn't mean we should ignore everybody who is not the norm.
I completely agree, it's just finding a practical way to do it.
rita park exactly. We ask for too much to be changed and altered and then people who don’t get it say making adjustable sizing products is too much? Yeah, okay. 🙄
Heather Faith there are ways to make it easier to do it. We’ve been doing it for years so who says it can’t be done? Only people who don’t understand the feeling will judge and say this girls feelings isn’t accountable for. She should live with the way she is and suffer the consequences. Completely unfair and unrealistic no?
I love her.. so clever and beautiful..an inspiration..be safe tgcxx
The way I see it is that the most reasonable solution for both parties would be that she use a wheel chair in public places like this that are not accommodated for people with her problems but are for those who are wheelchair-bound. This would make everything be at a decent height and depending on her strength: she may even be able to move by herself. I do think that short people were taken into consideration, but it was found that the needs of the many out-way the needs of the few. Especially when what the few need counteract what the many need. and while I respect her and appreciate that she got us thinking about this matter; I believe she is the one who failed to take into consideration what she can do to further help herself. And this isn't even a grand expense. Most airports (and other public places) offer free rent-able wheelchairs, so she could make all the things made accessible to a wheelchair-bound person accessible to herself for free and with the help of the people she claims aren't looking out for her needs.
Get a wheelchair for yourself the next time you are at the airport to test this theory. I guarantee if you have not already tried this, you will see how it does not improve the experience much.
What an amazing women. Go on Sinead, your amazing!
Everyone has their own hurdles. This girl is no different than anyone else. She should focus on solving little people problems and figure out how to make a fortune at it.
It touched my heart! Amazing! I literally have no words at the moment.
people bitching about costs, feasibility and the fact that she's not offering any solutions: do y'all realize that basically adding a small IKEA children's stool (at least in the bathrooms) would already solve most of her problems and this thing doesn't even require an engineering degree to put in place?
I very much liked this video
She's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen!
She's a great speaker, she spoke very well.
4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42
That is how many times she has fallen into a toilet.
So, why? In reference to the title
You are an amazing woman
This is a job for Kickstarter; plenty of hipster do gooders making really fancy emotional videos trying to sell you products that are socially aware in some way. If you're expecting a profit driven company to spend their money to accommodate less than 1% of the population, you'd better think again.
Sinead, I'm compelled to apologize for all of the mentally impotent people that don't understand your message or cannot see the bigger picture. There are more people in the world than most people realize that is affected by design. The fact at hand is, you don't have to be 3'5 for these problems to affect you. I'm 4'9. I use to shop in the little girl's department for my clothes too. Now that I have gotten older and had children I gained weight and can no longer fit into those clothes. Petites don't always fit me because the long sleeves or pants are still too long, giving me the grunge look. I have trouble sitting on the standard toilet. My feet don't touch the floor. I also have trouble at the grocery store. Those vegetable bags are put up so high I can't reach them even if I jump for them and I won't talk about the stuff on the top shelves. Homes are designed for the average height (5'5 for women), a foot shorter and you can't reach anything at all. Wake up world, it's not all about YOU, the average height.
Its about money and numbers. A small fraction (pun not intended) of the population could be potential customers/users of any given product. It makes little to no business sense to do so.....
Amazing talk ❤️
If you design something for everyone, no one will want it. If you design to fit everyone, it will fit no one.
Inspiration.... 😍
Accessible means usable by the most people possible in a particular situation. And in this case, it means for the average person, who is of average height. What I'm saying is, the world doesn't revolve around any one person. Sure it should be accessible by all, but society isn't there yet. And you're gonna have to wait. But its eventually gonna happen.
Why do we have to wait? Why can't we design for this problem now?
+geoffrey cavalier The total lack of need or profit motive for one.
The thing is she is like .5% of the population. Not to mention there are thousands of other disabilities that are not being accounted for. Do we make it all accessible for them? Where is the line where we have to stop? By the end of it there's going to be millions of dollars spent on something that makes it so everyone can use a sink in a public restroom. The fact of the matter is we can't cater for everyone. You need to think about this in a economical level as that's what drives the USA.
She is amazing
So many comments that start with "nothing against her, but..."
Very interesting ☺️
did she forget that sometimes there is a step stool so she can wash her hands
Not too seem bad, but why should governments have to put extra funds into introducing new things to places like airports etc for little people even though they are a tiny percent of the population. Most countries have people starving yet she is implying that new toilets and planes should be designed to fit her needs.
*E M P A T H Y*
I read you story how your place in the world 😊
Amen! I agree completely with everything she said!
the comments section is "we cant design EVERYTHING for SUCH A SMALL AMOUNT OF PEOPLE wehh" but a world without all the problems she describes would be better for EVERYONE.
imagine rolling your suitcase onto a floor-level converter belt! that would be easier for everyone! little people, people in wheelchairs, the sick or elderly too weak to lift their suitcase. or me!!
or bathroom locks! in general, they SUCK. half don't with work, and sometimes getting them to actually stay takes longer than it takes to pee. if they were designed to such a shape that, at least, if they were generally knocked to the right with an iPhone, they'd lock cleanly, everyone would benefit. even me - i have no physical disabilities, and just these examples would improve my life.
snuggies (wheelchair users) and closed captioning (hard of hearing people) are existing accommodations which improve everyone's life.
i do wish the talk had included more of this dynamic, but i did really enjoy hearing about her stories. it focuses on her struggles because they're her struggles and she wrote the talk. chill guys.
Some send this to John mulaney. Also I'm gonna design clothes for little people adults
I feel like she would have better success campaigning for exo suites.
I love her accent.... 😍😍😍😍
Lilliputian accent.
Lukas Sversepa I probably shouldn't have laughed at your comment 😂
Yes. I want to pet her as well.
me too😍 (Lee Joon Ki !!!!!! hhaha I had to😂)
Good points. If we design around certain handicaps, like people in wheelchairs, we should design around more of them if not all.
There are many people with varying disabilities it's crazy to think that we can make everything work for everyone
So design for little peoole and tall motherfuckers at the same time, thats going to be challenging.
But it's not crazy to attempt to do so.
How cost efficient is it to design a public space where everything is practical for a blind 7 (or 3) and a half feet tall one armed person with frequent memory loss and how can you do it without impacting 99% of the population the world is already being designed for?
Thats becasue thier are more people in wheelchairs. Also, not everything is design for wheelchairs.
Well, societies should start with left handed people since we are 10% of the society and as she said her condition is 1 out of 20 000! As a lefty I counter a lot of inconvenient situations but I understand that design has to be practical and economical.
S Al Ameri Good point!
Glad she said the feet and inches. I was about to check out based on that alone lol
Woe is me..
Having someone wheel you from gate to gate sounds pretty accomodating to me.
Nothing against her but, by omitting to provide any solutions to the specific situations she mentioned, she made it sound like designing things for 99% of the population is not the way to go. If there was a way to make everything more accessible without making the product unviable for the majority or severly altering the quality/comfort, it would be designed that way.
The title is what takes it from dwarfism sensibilisation to pointless rant.
I believe her point was that by saying something is accessible doesn't mean that it is accessible to everyone not that we have to cater to each individual person. There are a lot of guidelines within the ADA for example which is not accommodating for me as a person with a physical disability because of my particular situation. Some people who don't experience disabilities on a daily basis assuming that the word "accessible" means accessible for all and that's not the case. I can't reach most "accessible" water fountains for example.
I think that this talk has two target audiences. 1: "Laypeople"/ non-designers. These people will hopefully see the perspective of a person who represents a small minority of the human population, but still a significant group, and how literally everyday things are difficult. These viewers don't think about these things very often and take the ability to lock a stall door and order coffee for granted. It is also meant to let them know to not think it is a big deal when people meet her or people like her so they don't embarrass her or themselves 2: Designers. Most designers (like myself) already know that they have to design for people with physical disabilities, but when we are reading the confusing codes, we forget who we are designing for and why. Designers often will think about people in wheel chairs and the elderly, but spending some extra time to think about other physical disabilities will mean a huge difference for people like her. That little bit of time has a big impact for, yes a relatively small portion of the population, but still important and significant. It is meant to stop and think again about something most designers already thought they had figured out.
Geoffrey Cavalier Do designers design with children in mind as well? Children spend less time by themselves in public, but it still happens. So would it make sense to accommodate height at least?
Globally, 15% of the population is disabled, that's around 1 in 7 people. Get your facts straight. The world needs to be accessible so that disabled people (like myself) can intergrate and live to our potential, we have a lot to offer. I am a straight A student who is home schooled because there are no accessible schools near me. Please tell me how this is fair, just so that abled bodies people can have some "comfort"?
Before you say that we can't be accessible for everyone, the fact is that if kids like me can't physically get into school to have an education, we aren't doing *anywhere* near enough.
QP199 nice lol
Her numbers, 1 in 20,000; 0.005% of the population (of which, not all end up being this small). Not feasible to design the world around such a tiny fraction.
harshbutt that's around 37million people
+Fisbus globally. 37million. Of which only a fraction have access to airports. Not very feasible imo, not saying it doesn't suck to be a midget, but it's not really a priority, when there are ice caps melting LOOOL
"tiny" fraction...
Fisbus but thats not 37 million people in one small region.
+harsh. How many "tiny" people are there if you include kids? Do most of them live in peoples "local area"? Or do you think a clothing company wouldnt want to corner the marked on 37 million people if that was possible? Be THE place "every" little person imported clothes from or similar.
It's simply impractical to physically design every small shop and public space to accommodate everyone with a non-typical life. People triggered by loud noises, people sensitive to motion, people smaller or larger than a certain majority... it would be prohibitively expensive and unreasonably consuming.
A conversation about public willingness to accommodate would be great. People willing to come out from behind a counter to help. Disability assistance in public spaces (which this woman has already been able to take advantage of, and for the most part, seemed helpful), and flexibility in procedure would be reasonable. But a re-working of all infrastructure to meet the needs of every circumstance is too wide a net to cast. Specific changes and suggestions are welcome! I just didn't hear any from this talk.
I mean, really, thinking about it, people with disabilities that, by definition, disable their ability to work within a broad public system should maybe be given special privileges. We can't design the world around every individuality, but helping in an extra way might be a good solution. In the way we give people with medical needs special access, or pregnant women closer reserved parking spots, or where the culture as a whole will give up a bus seat for someone who has a harder time standing. Hmm.. maybe some of this seems insensitive. But I'm curious now for what solutions people would think. I'd be very happy for my tax dollars to supplement people who struggle to work within a 'typical' environment that's not designed to meet their non-typical needs.
Yes, Macy's is going to produce a new size called LP (little people) and stack them on top of the smalls in all stores. Those are going to sell well.
That moment when, the comment sections is more interesting than the video
Very good talk :)
UAU!!!
QP199 midget is not the correct term. It's as derogatory as the N word or another M word used for those with Down syndrome. @TED, perhaps it would be best to take this down. The comments on here are atrocious. I understand some of her viewpoints were self centered, but my god if you had any idea what that's like. You won't. And I will probably get a lot of hate for this comment. But she's getting enough already, so as a fellow LP, sharing the minuscule percentage of the population, that you all had no problem at all sharing, you can give it to me. My God. No wonder half (estimate) of LPs commits suicide in their lifetime. No where for comfort or understanding. Everywhere you look, the bigotry and discrimination lies everywhere. You're right- there's not many of us. But even if there were only two people with the same difficult, whether physical, emotional or intellectual, don't you think that our humane instinct, or at least the core of our moral, would encourage us to at least try?
You'll make more money if you cover for everyone-
1st
She has humor, and I feel for her. But I don't agree. As a tall person I have trouble aswel. And I'm not even enormously tall. I can almost never buy shoes at a store because they don't carry them that tall. And I always hit my head. I don't think everthing should be designed with me in mind. It's just something you have to deal with. I think most things are designed with small people in mind because kids often need to be able to use stuf as well. But surely there will always be obstacles. Why isn't the airport so much not accomadated for you? Is it because it's a long walk? I understand it sometimes hurts your pride, but it has it's advantages too. Like you said, leg room in a plane, it's a real pain for tall people. And as you feel silly around large objects like chairs and stuff, I sometime feel that way in small cars. I once drove a cabrio while looking over the window not through. I do feel you have a right to complain in certain situations but I do not feel there is something wrong with mankind and it's design
Design where possible and reasonable should be accommodating but that can only go so far, like with her disabled bathroom example the more you accommodate for one group of outliers the less you accommodate for another group.
For example the more you design furniture for midgets the the less usable it is for giants.
Don Quixote She literally said in the video the word ‘midget’ is derogatory. Stop using it.
She is categorized in dwarfism of less then .05% of the worlds population.. Most of the time you see these type of talks and they tell you how they made their way through life. Burn victims, cancer patients, tall people, short people, etc.. I would rather sit here and watch these people tell me how they've made it through life. Not like this one. Shes just complaining on how people don't do things for you. Also yeah im 6'5", maybe I should have a ted talk on how its difficult for me to sit in airplane seats.
"Also yeah im 6'5", maybe I should have a ted talk on how its difficult for me to sit in airplane sits."
Maybe you should. You'd have my full support.
jake golden I second that, call your talk "the height of impracticality".
That damn society again. So oppressive.
last
please... if you are going to talk about a problem for 10 minutes, offer at least one solution! the whole time i was thinking "yeah, that sucks, but we can't lower the height of all the chairs and all the counters in the world for - as you said - one in 20000. also, you have plenty of dignity, or you wouldn't be standing there. it doesnt depend on how easy your life is, but on how you deal with it
it is true, our infrastructure is not designed for extreme minorities of the population. Nor should it be. it is not in the best interest to society as a whole to fundamentally change to accommodate every individual within it but to be as generalized as possible as to accommodate the largest % of those living within it.