Sophie Jurion
@sophiejdesignGlobally, at least 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment (“WHO Vision Impairment and Blindness,” 2018).
What does it mean to be visually impaired? Mild visual impairment is a visual acuity of 20/70, severe impairment (legally blind) is 20/200, and total blindness is 20/400. As someone who is nearsighted and works primarily with typography and form, What does it mean to design for visual accessibility?
My thesis, Envisioning Design: Educating and Making for Visual Accessibility, explores an interactive and inclusive design experience for adults to reconnect with their senses through art experiments and play, rediscover their door to creativity, and learn about visual impairment and color blindness.
“While practicing inclusive design should make a design more accessible, it’s not a progress for meeting all accessibility standards” (Holmes, 2018). In Kat Holmes book Mismatch, she argues that diversity is our biggest asset, and inclusion is our biggest challenge. Her methodology is to first learn what other people’s needs are, and then ask who is excluded. What can we change so that they are not excluded?
Accessibility makes a product, service, or environment work for someone with a disability. Whereas inclusive design is a methodology and not an attribute (Holmes, 2018). With these concepts in mind, I explore designing with braille, alternative text, screen readers, and laser-printed acrylic objects and clothing tags to adapt my designs for those with visual impairments. Designing experiences that are accessible to everyone is an ethical goal. I believe artists, writers, institutions, museums, and schools—both individually and collectively—should strive to create inclusive experiences.
Laser Printed Portraits, collaborated with Eva Brown.
Junior Fall Graphic Design Studio, 2022. 4x6 wood.
Junior Fall Graphic Design Studio, 2022. 4x6 wood.
Braille Typeface Experiment. Senior Fall Graphic Design Studio, 2024. Adobe Illustrator.
Visions and Perceptions Experiment. Senior Fall Graphic Design Studio, 2024. Red transparent film.