Inspiring Inclusion of People with Disabilities
Prototyping a digital tool to inspire greater inclusion of people with disabilities in Kathmandu, Nepal
DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT OPENS MINDS AND SPURS ACTION
I joined IDEO.org for a design project with Humanity & Inclusion (formerly Handicap International), a global NGO that wanted to design a digital tool to increase economic opportunities for people with disabilities. We did exploratory user research in Nepal, where the informal economy dominates. Our goal was to reach the livelihoods program trainers and implementers who control access and whose assumptions often equal exclusion for people with disabilities.
Our team prototyped many solutions, from a card game to a virtual reality viewer to an online library of adaptations. Through an iterative process and user feedback, we designed WorkWith, an online platform that provides inspiration as to what’s possible, then generates a customized WorkWith Guide with actionable information and guided next steps to help users start including people with disabilities in their programs.