By Bryan Kay
Staff Reporter
A British designer hopes to demonstrate the benefits and possibilities that come with including the disabled in the process of "mainstream" design during this year's Seoul Design Olympiad.
Julia Cassim, of the Royal College of Art in London, will be holding a competition in "inclusive design," or design based on the inclusion of the disabled.
"By understanding the extreme, you can design for the mainstream ― and design better," Cassim said in an interview with The Korea Times.
Named the 48 Hour Inclusive Design Challenge in Seoul, the competition began Sunday, with the results to be announced in a presentation Wednesday.
"The wonderful thing about these competitions is that there is always an element of surprise," said the designer. "I'm sure the results will be great."
The competition is based on what are called "Challenge Workshops" ― projects that focus on encouraging the inclusion of the disabled as a means for innovative design, explained Cassim.
"Helping designers to engage with disability (is my aim)," said Cassim, adding that she strives to "empower disabled people in the design process."
After every competition, a strong, long-lasting network of designers is created, said Cassim.
Previous Challenge Workshops have taken place in cities such as London, Tokyo and Jerusalem.
Cassim, born and educated in England, discovered her interest in inclusive design during her 22-year residence in Japan, where she attended Tokyo University of Fine Arts and Music on a scholarship, and worked as the arts columnist for The Japan Times.
As well as writing for numerous other publications, Cassim founded Access Vision. "(Access Vision is) an organization for visually impaired people, engaged in research on alternative modes of accessing and interpreting museum collections of art and artifacts," said Cassim.
She is currently a senior research fellow at the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Arts, specializing in advances in design and innovation for social change.
Korea Times intern JR Breen contributed reporting to this article.