News
Head of Global Product Accessibility Netflix
Heather Dowdy visited the (dis)Ability Design Studio while visiting campus. She was appointed to the US Access Board by President Biden based on her expertise fostering collaboration within the disability community. She has more than 15 years of experience as a leader in accessible technology across mobile, web and artificial intelligence (AI) - including previously at Microsoft, Motorola Mobility and the Mobile Manufacturers’ Forum (MWF). As the oldest daughter of Deaf parents, Heather is fluent in American Sign Language (ASL). Heather has served as a Board Member of the World Institute on Disability (WID), deaf kids CODE, & Billion Strong. She loves using the design thinking process to create solutions that improve usability for everyone. Heather obtained her Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Aziz Zeidieh
Student Affiliate of the (dis)Ability Design Studio visited for the first time. He is a PhD student in the Informatics Program in the iSchool at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Here are his reflections on that visit:
"I was on campus and got a chance to visit Deana at the (dis)Ability Design Studio at the Beckman Institute. My expectations were admittedly average of the space I was about to visit; however, I was astonished the moment I stepped into the studio. The tranquility and serenity that blanketed this space instilled a sense of calmness and comfort that I otherwise would only feel in my own home.
The conversation with Deana that followed served as a significant milestone in my doctoral and research journey that could only be compared with the moment I met my advisor, the time where two strangers became partners and collaborators with a mutual goal to make a change for the better."
September 2024
Carter Schott
CarterSchott (Mechanical Engineering undergraduate) recently visited the (dis)Ability Design Studio, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Their discussion focused on design thinking and empathic research, exploring collaborative projects that aim to address real-world challenges. Carter is enthusiastic about the potential future collaborations and the innovative work that lies ahead as they work together to develop impactful designs.
September 2024
Med Student Mom Leads Team Designing Baby 'Space Suit' to Protect Against Radiation
An all-woman student team at Carle Illinois College of Medicine is turning to technology from NASA to help protect the youngest hospital patients from the potential negative effects of X-rays. The team is designing a special baby suit to protect infants who undergo repeated chest X-rays in the NICU from the long-term effects of radiation exposure.
CI MED students Debora Nya and Madeline Minneci, along with UIUC chemical engineering student Katherine Park are also passionate about “protecting the littlest lives.” The group of four women has been focused on designing several prototypes of their “astronaut suit” that is also hypoallergenic, thin, lightweight, and comfortable for some of our most precious patients. Health Innovation Professor Deanna McDonagh, who is a design expert, mentored and helped the team incorporate human usability factors into their product design, as well as radiologists Dr. Juan Jimenez and Dr. Arielle VanSyckel (pediatric radiologist) and neonatologist Dr. Joseph O’Connell, all from Carle Health.
Food Sustainability and the Media: Linking Awareness, Knowledge and Action
This the first book to explore the roles that the media plays in raising awareness, spurring action, and increasing understanding about food security and global sustainability issues. The book addresses the means of leveraging traditional and new media to advance food and sustainability discourse by linking awareness, knowledge, and action. The book links sustainability and food security in media communication to address different topics, including the way climate change is framed by the media, key factors of success and failure in NGOs, public and corporate communication, and climate change denial.
Sarah M. Zehr, Deana McDonagh, Jennifer Vokoun, Francesca Allievi and Sonia Massari. (2024) “Design Thinking Workshop: Using Experiential Learning, Creativity, and Empathy to Learn about the Complexities of Food Insecurity and Sustainability.” In Marta Antonellis and Pierangelo Isernia (eds.) Food Sustainability and the Media: Linking Awareness, Knowledge and Action. pages 195-219. Academic Press.
Continuing success: Illinois wheelchair racers ready for the Paralympic Games
Coach Adam Bleakney (Director of Awesome for the (dis)Ability Design Studio) attends the Paris Paralympics 2024.
"The 2024 Paralympic Games begin in Paris on August 28. Head coach of the U. of I. wheelchair track and road racing team Adam Bleakney will be there — coaching for Team USA. All nine of the wheelchair racing athletes representing the U.S. have a connection to Illinois —most of them have trained at the university’s facility in the Rehabilitation Education Center, one of eight U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training sites. Bleakney won a silver medal in the 800-meter race in the 2004 Games in Greece and competed in the2000 Paralympics in Australia and the 2008 Games in China. In his time as the head coach, his athletes have won 55 medals across four Paralympic Games while setting 14 world records on the track, and have won the Boston Marathon, London Marathon, Chicago Marathon and New York City Marathon. In recognition of such performances, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee named him Paralympic Coach of the Year on three occasions."
New Faculty Affiliate
Delighted to announce that Dr. Julie Ross from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) has joined the team at the (dis)Ability Design Studio, Beckman Institute. Her research focuses on neurodiversity, creativity and creative problem solving, design thinking approaches and visual methods in teaching and research, positive dyslexia and understanding intersectionality in relation to neurodiversity.
We are delighted that we have this international affiliation and look forward to our collaboration.
August 2024
Dr. Jingyu Dai
Dr Dai is a Professor of Fashion Design and Engineering Director of Fashion at the Sanda University , Shanghai, China. She is also Co-founder of Chengyu Studio, China. Her research directions include Emotional Healing Fashion, Wearable Fashion for Children and Elderly, and Digital Fashion.
She visited the (dis)Ability Design Studio to discuss future collaboration in the area of autism and aging.
August 2024
Kaitlin Skurnak
Congratulations to Student Affiliate Kaitlin Skurnak on earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Systems Engineering and Design with a minor in Disability Studies. We will be looking forward to her continued collaboration as she begins in the Systems and Entrepreneurial Engineering PhD program, accompanied, of course, by her feline advisor - Mr. Biscuits!
Her research will focus on Human Factors and Socio-technical Systems, working on process improvement within the healthcare system using a Human-Centered Design approach.
August 2024
Chez Veterans Center
Director Andrew Bender, Ingrid Wheeler (Assistant Director, Behavioral Health Services), Michael Lotspeich-Yadao (Assistant Director, Research and Educational Programming) and Austin Slotnick (Office Support Associate) visited the (dis)Ability Design Studio to explore potential collaboration with their center and students.
"The transition from a military environment to a college or university can be difficult and overwhelming for student Veterans, especially for those with visible and invisible injuries. Our services include individualized academic and career coaching to support progress and address barriers, peer and professional mentoring to foster community and networking, and health and wellness services to promote psychosocial adjustments and well-being."
Widening the (dis)Ability Design network
Deana McDonagh has been invited and accepted a position as Visiting Professor in the School of Textiles and Design at the Heriot-Watt University (Galashiels, Scotland)(hw.ac.uk). Looking forward to future collaboration and developing the (dis)Ability Design network internationally.
Some history: George Heriot (1563–1624) was an Edinburgh goldsmith who became jeweller to King James VI (James 1 of England) and his wife, Queen Anne. James Watt (1736–1819) was the father of the industrial revolution. His crucial role was to transform the world from one based on agriculture to one based on engineering and technology, recognised in the unit of power.
Launch of Owl Patrol: Beckman's New Outreach Committee
A group of Girl Scouts from Central Illinois earned an exclusive new badge from the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology. This spring, the Beckman Institute hosted the scouts for scientific demonstrations and a building tour. One of Girl Scouts' key pillars is STEM, so the visitors were ready to learn about the science, research and history at Beckman.
The committee is named in homage to a 13-year-old Arnold O. Beckman. An inventor and innovator from the start, he created an unofficial Boy Scout troop — the original Owl Patrol — in his hometown of Cullom, Illinois.
Deana McDonagh, an empathic design research strategist and a professor in the School of Art and Design, played an important role in the Girl Scout event. Her space,the (dis)ability Design Studio, was a key stop during the tour. “I have opened up my research space to the visiting children so that they can experience a different kind of research space: one that welcomes and celebrates diverse abilities,” McDonagh said. As a pivotal member of the Owl Patrol, McDonagh and her (dis)ability Design Studio allowed the scouts to learn about accessibility, design and how to bring these two concepts together. Her role on the Owl Patrol highlights the importance of faculty dedicating time to outreach and sharing more about the research conducted at Beckman.
Augmented Reality Is a Therapeutic Game Changer
“We need to design with, not for people with disabilities, and we need to design for the most extreme context".
Deana McDonagh quoted in the Speech Technology Magazine article written by Robin Springer, President of Computer Talk, a consulting firm specializing in implementation of speech recognition technology and services, with a commitment to shifting the paradigm of disability through awareness and education.
Technologies to Support Aging Among People with Long-Term Disabilities (TechSAge)
The goal of TechSAge is to meet the needs of people aging with long-term disabilities where they live, work, and play by conducting advanced engineering research and developing innovative technologies.
Delighted to have the TechSAge team visit the (dis)Ability Design Studio. (Laura Rice, Jon Sanford, Tracy Mitzner, Elena Remillard and Adam Bleakney.)
May 2024.
National Robotarium
People Centred :: Intelligence Driven
Located at the Heriot-Watt's Edinburgh Campus, Scotland. The interdisciplinary research spans engineering and energy, physical, social and life sciences, business and design, in areas as diverse as photonics to carbon capture to homelessness.
Deana McDonagh collaborated with Prof/Dr Julian Malins (Health and Care Technologies Global Research Institute) on an assisted living lab workshop on the 'Hospital Ward of the future'.
May 2024
Undergraduate Research Symposium 2024
Kaitlin Skurnak gave an oral presentation at the Illini Union, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign campus. Her presentation focused on the ballbot chair (Personalized Unique Rolling Experience) and the history of the development of the wheelchair. She concluded with the importance of balancing the functional needs of users with supra-functional needs and sense of embodiment.
25 April 2024
Beckman Institute Open House
The Beckman Institute Open House was held on Friday, April 5, and Saturday, April 6. Guests of all ages can do hands-on demos and activities, solve a science scavenger hunt, and meet the people behind world-changing scientific discoveries.
The (dis)Ability Design Studio will be hosted experiential learning activities related to movement, smell and vision.
Temple Grandin Visits (dis)Ability Design Studio
Dr Temple Grandin moderated a panel discussion at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology on Wednesday 17th April. Presenters included Dr Laura Hetrick, Dr Tracey Wszalek, Dr Dr Stephanie Ceman, Dr Maria Channell, Dr Nien-Pei and Dr Amy Cohen.
Afterwards she visited the (dis)Ability Design Studio for a smaller group discussion which was co-hosted by Dr Laura Hetrick.
17th April 2024
Photo: Dr Temple Grandin (left), Dr Susan Heft Sears (centre), Dr Deana McDonagh (right)
Racing Gloves Exhibit
Coach Adam has created a micro exhibit based in the Disability Resources and Educational Services facility on the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign campus.
The History of the Racing Wheelchair Glove exhibit traces the evolution of the gloves used by athletes. Beginning in the late 1970s, wheelchair racing athletes began using gloves in order to improve their performances and to protect their skin.
Through the past four decades, gloves have evolved in response to the demands of the sport and to the available fabrication technology. Current models take advantage of the latest in additive technology, creating a fully custom and lightweight racing glove.
Disability Resources and Educational Services
Open House at DRES that provided an opportunity to show case PURE chair stages of development within the context of the Human Performance Mobility Maker Lab.
19th April 2024
Writing Design Research Around the World: A pop up European Academy of Design Event
To promote excellent design research writing the European Academy of Design (EAD) ran a pop-up event.
The European Academy of Design ran its first Writing Design Research Around the World (virtually over a 16-hour non-stop duration) to promote excellent design writing. It started in China and concluded in America. We had 212 attendees, countries (including: Finland, Turkey, USA, Brazil, Chile, Australia, India, China, Hungary, UK, Korea, France, Spain, Portugal, Dubai). The organisers (Leon Cruickshank, Deana McDonagh and Heitor Alvelos) would like to thank the local hosts that made this remarkable event possible (Carlos Sena Caires, Sara Goldchmit, Kimberlee Wilkens and Mazia Mortati) and attendees. Each host country focused on elements of academic design publications (title, abstract, introduction etc.). The European Academy of Design provides a supportive community for all design related colleagues.Next year we will be celebrating its 30th anniversary. design researchers looking to improve and practice their academic writing.
April 2024
Collaborations in the Advancement of Research on Disability
The CARD Collaborative Working Group meeting took place at the (dis)Ability Design Studio in April 2024. This brought faculty together to share their research leading to collaborative opportunities.
The mission of CARD is to enhance the health and quality of life of people with disabilities through research that addresses critical gaps in disability-related knowledge and outreach that engages individuals with disabilities.
Disability and Design Course (ARTD 420)
Students from the course visited the (dis)Ability Design Studio to conduct a range of empathic modeling (e.g., vision impairment, mobility devices). The course has been developed to focus on a higher level of innovation through experiential learning based on transforming students' felt sense to felt experience to develop deeper empathic understanding of others.
The students are in the MRi exhibit while wearing retinitis pigmentosa glasses (tunnel vision). The Illinois MRI Exhibit at the Beckman Institute highlights the researchers who made this incredible technology possible, dating back to the middle of the 20th century. The physical exhibit, located off the Beckman Institute Atrium, features the first two human MRI scanners, interesting artifacts, and information shared on interactive screens. The exhibit covers the past, present, and future of MRI research at Illinois.
February 2024
Empathic Design Research Workshop
Keynote Speech on Empathy and workshop for the Industrial Design Society of America, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, 18th November 2023.
A Catalyst for Innovation: (dis)Ability Design Studio Debuts
To further develop creative projects such as these, a new lab centered on imagination and immersion is available on the UIUC campus. Dubbed the (dis)Ability Design Studio, the space empowers individuals who benefit from this unique thinking to become the driving voices behind these projects, giving them the capacity to design, engineer, research, and innovate, says Adam Bleakney, studio co-director, research affiliate, School of Art & Design lecturer, and head coach of the UIUC wheelchair track team.
(Dis)Ability Design Studio welcomes Everyone
The Beckman Institute will open the doors to the (dis)Ability Design Studio. The partnership between the Beckman Institute and the University’s Disability Resources and Educational Services will support the interdisciplinary design research focused on real-life experiences of people with disabilities.
Collaborations in the Advancement of Research on Disability
CARD members participated in the first Research Fair at the Disability Resources and Educational Services location. We discussed our research in the area of disability and explored opportunities for the DRES registered students to become research collaborators. Organised by Dr Laura Rice and Carrie Wennerdahl.
October 2024
Colloquium for the School of Textile Design, Heriot-Watt University, Galashiels, Scotland
Presented to an audience of faculty members from the School of Textile Design on the (dis)Ability and Design Studio, focusing on the assistive technologies and a higher level of innovative design outcomes.
Invited by Prof/Dr Julian Malins, Executive Director of the School of Textile Design.
May 2024