Tinkering with Technology – Promoting Inclusivity and Diversity through the (re)Design of Artefacts

Many disability rights activists have argued that the technological objects and infrastructures that surround us can create inhospitable exclusive spaces. Sometimes this has to do with the kinds of skills a person needs in order to navigate the technological environment. At other times, technologies can contribute to exclusive spaces by reinforcing ableist (and ageist) tropes about what well-functioning minds and bodies ‘ought’ to look like. 

The aim of this workshop is to reflect on these issues in a collaborative and creative setting.  Building upon a pedagogical exercise that was designed in 2021 by several members of TBM’s Ethics and Philosophy Section, participants of this workshop will work together in small groups and will use tinkering materials to change a technological artefact used in contexts of disability and rehabilitation in order to promote the values of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. Before we start the fun creative process of tinkering together, we will kick things off with a brief introductory lecture by Janna van Grunsven on the motivations behind the exercise and on the complicated and at times problematic relationship between disability and technological innovation. We will round up the tinkering exercise with a plenary reflection on the exercise itself and what it may (or may not) have revealed to the participants about how DEI can be promoted through the (re)design of technological artefacts.

Target Group
Everyone is welcome.

Type of Event
Workshop

Food and/or Drinks
Lunch will be served

Registration Link
Registration is not needed 

Accessibility
Yes 

Language(s)
English