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Dear Kat,
I will often write a brief review lauding the merits of a recently finished book, sharing thoughts and observations about its contents. However, in this case, I wanted to take a slightly different approach and write a note directly to you as the author. This 'review' is going to be a distillation of of your efforts have impacted me personally.
I stumbled on your book purely by chance. Lucky for me though that I opted to read it right away. I am currently pursuing some academic work in the field of health and rehabilitation leadership, and am enrolled in a course this semester on Diversity, Inclusion, and Accommodation. Further, I've spent my career supporting individuals with disabilities, and I also happen to live with my own disability. Your book's premise was quite attractive to me given what I was pursuing and its relevance to my life's work.
One of the issues that I've struggled with over the years is articulating and consolidating the sheer breadth of issues faced by the broad community of persons living with disabilities. How do we align the interests of people who have needs that may be at cross-purposes with each other? For example, what works for a person with a vision impairment might not be very supportive of someone living with a seizure disorder.
Kat - you offer a refreshing perspective on how we can collectively support each other. You don't simply talk about universal design; you don't lecture your reader about social justice; and you don't dwell on overly technical issues. Instead - you appeal to your reader to consider using the basis of inclusion as a driving force for creativity. You encourage your reader to take an expansive mindset that draws on the experiences of the excluded as a source of inspiration and continuous improvement. In your manner of writing and sharing, you effectively dismantle that sense of sheer overwhelm that we face when we feel like we want to make things right, but simply are paralyzed by uncertainty of where to start!
The answer has been in plain sight all along -- it's in the design! How we build the world that we live in dictates the experience that we create for ourselves and for others. While your expertise focused on the software experience and the digital infrastructure, a thoughtful reader is able to extrapolate meaningful insights into how we shape the physical stuff we use, the software we interact with, and the policies we live within. Everything we think, say, and do is a gesture of design. We craft our spoken word, aiming for explicit impact with careful selection of vocabulary -- this is design. We arrange our furniture for aesthetics and practicality -- this is design. We move in a certain direction toward a specific destination -- this is design!
Thank you Kat for sharing your experiences, your insights, and your wisdom. I am a better person for it.
Michael
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Customers say
Customers find the book essential reading, particularly for designers of all disciplines, with one review noting how it balances practical knowledge with raw humanity. They appreciate its readability.
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16 customers mention content, 16 positive, 0 negative
Excellent book in excellent condition.Read more
...Kat - you offer a refreshing perspective on how we can collectively support each other....Read more
This is a great primer on design and its impact on everyone, particularly people with disabilities....Read more
...short book the author manages to define and contextualize a variety of critical concepts and ideas important for those with an interest in design or...Read more
5 customers mention readability, 4 positive, 1 negative
...school principal that serves a variety of specialized programs I enjoyed the read and the different ways to conceptualize inclusion and belonging in...Read more
...The book has been such a delight to read....Read more
...Enjoyed how well it read and all the great quotable lines. Will put this on my must read list for my design students.Read more
...the intention is good, there’s some irony in that the book is frankly quite unattractive, not user friendly...Read more
It's so good you'll sticky-note every page!
When a book is so full of quotable passages that you are compelled to flag almost every page, you know you've met a thoughtful writer whose message is clear. What I appreciate most about this book is that Kat Holmes makes you care about inclusive design – whether you're a designer or not, or work in tech or not – because it's not only good for the products and services that companies make, but it's also good for us as communities and as a society. Learning about the inclusive design method will change how you think about, well, everything.
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2019
- Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2019
- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2020
Top reviews from other countries
- Mr P A SmythReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2019
Informative, inspiring and essential reading
- WendyReviewed in Canada on January 29, 2022
Best Design Book I have read in awhile
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase -
- Ernest WReviewed in Poland on September 16, 2022
Not good at all.
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
