From this week's readings, I chose to read Web Design for Neurodiversity as well as Access Intimacy by Mia Mingus.
The Web Design for Neurodiversity highlights several key principles that are critical in UI/UX design. These principles include color contrast standards, legible typefaces, hierarchy, and consistency, which are all fundamental to designing accessible websites. However, one thing that really stuck with me is the perspective that neurodiversity, or any disability, is not just a physical condition nor is it a deficit. Rather, this article emphasizes that it is society's barriers and structures that make an individual disabled. This cruical distinction highlights the power and responsibilities we have as members of society and as designers: it is in our hands to break down these barriers and rethink our society's structures.
This perspective on disability also carries into Mingus's article on "access intimacy." Access intimacy is what is fostered and built when we work to become more considerate and inclusive of all who have disabilities. By using the word intimacy here, the strive for accessibility is not a task or a burden, rather it's recontextualized here in the realm of love, togetherness, and relationships. And love, as we may all have heard, is a verb, a two-way street; access intimacy, following in the footsteps of love, is therefore something each and everyone of us, able-bodied or disablied, can work towards fostering in our relationships and our communities. It then serves as another reminder that we have the power and the responsibility to create a safe space where disabled bodies can feel welcomed, valued, loved, and included.