By: Lianne Siemensma
Keywords: Enjoyment, exploration, equality, connecting, imaginative
Tutors: Margreet Beets & Kees Nauta
Design Goal and Interaction vision
The design goal; “To improve the interaction between a child with visual impairment and their non-visually impaired friends during play”.
The interaction vision; “Exploring a new city at the first days of your holiday, together with your best friend; it’s exciting, fun and your equal in a sense that both of you don’t know what adventures lie ahead.”
Joy
“Joy: a toy for blind children and their sighted friends that connects them in a sense of enjoyment.” Joy is a toy designed for blind children and their sighted friends allowing them to play together in a fun and equal way. By eliminating vision and focussing more on other stimulating aspects of play such as shape, sound and touch, the disadvantage of the visual impaired child is eliminated, resulting in a more equal relationship between the children and creating a more joyful and open interaction. The joy blocks are made of lime wood, which is known for its soft hold and light appearance. Some blocks make sounds; others have engraved patterns or fit together which allows for more tactile exploration and feedback. The shapes can be interpreted by the children in endless ways and were designed to trigger imagination. In this way, the children are able to construct their own meaning, rules and goals to their play which stimulates their development. Play between visually impaired and sighted children can be fun again! (see pictures: SIEMENSMA6.jpg and SIEMENSMA7.jpg).
Poster
Presentation
