Designers Inspired by Loved Ones with Disabilities

Sharon Rush of Knowbility presented at Big Design Conference 2011 on Designing for Disabilities. In her talk, Sharon gives several examples of designers innovating because of a loved with a disability.

Did you know these interesting facts about these inventors:

– Pelligrino Turri developed a typewriter, so he could send love letters to a blind countess
– Herman Hollerith, founder of IBM, had a learning disability (created the punch card to capture data)
– Alexander Graham Bell’s mother and wife were both deaf (invented phone)
– Albert Einstein had Aspergers Syndrome and was reportedly dyslexic (Theory of relativity)
– Thomas Edison was slightly deaf with a learning disability (invented light bulb, camera, and more)
– Leonardo Da Vinci was dyslexic (invented bicycle, parachute, tank, glider, and so much more)
– Stephen Hawking has Motor neurone disease (considered to be greatest astro-physicist)
– Temple Grandin is autistic (has a PhD in Animal Behavior and created inventions for humane treatment of cows)

You will be inspired by this great presentation. Enjoy!