Description

Assistive products support people in their everyday lives, but at the same time make physical limitations visible. The sanitary, clinical-looking design of standard products makes them a symbol of age, illness, and weakness. As a result, many users feel stigmatized and stop using the aids — even when they are functionally necessary. Three speculative narratives examine the extent to which assistive products can be transferred into new contexts of meaning through a reinterpretation in order to contribute to destigmatization of their current design.