Abstract

Despite enormous progress by governments and non-governmental organizations worldwide for action-research projects and awareness of the public, people with disabilities still face much difficulty in their daily lives due to discrimination, non-visibility and ignorance. Using systematic literature review and observational research as research method, this paper will show that despite disability being a driver for innovation, designing for disability has remained an exclusive, niche and expensive market. This is set to change as more normal-abled persons face the possibility of someday developing symptoms associated with disabilities due to life circumstances and a growing elderly population. The need to include more people with disabilities in the workplace, not only as simple employees, but also as integral members of design, testing and decision-making teams will be emphasized. Some of the wide reaching examples of disability innovation are touched upon. Finally, an overview of disability and disability innovation in Mauritius is also given.