Welcome to our regular update on things ‘new’ in the world of disability ‘The ‘D’ List’. In this edition we look at stylish kitchenware for the partially sighted, the pre-launch of Nike’s self lacing and heel entry trainers and the news we can’t ignore, ‘No Cuts’ to disability benefits…yet.
First, The Leaven Range by Simon Kinneir demonstrated below, is a good looking, stylish set of kitchenware for people who are partially sighted or just a little lacking in dexterity. It would grace any table and is far from the brightly coloured plastic dinnerware normally available to the disability market.
The collection is
“tuned to give extra sensory feedback beyond a reliance on sight. Subtle changes can improve the practicality and enjoyability of a task; for people with sight-loss, confidence in the kitchen increases self-sufficiency. Through touch, temperature, sound, or movement, these products amplify active processes in the task at hand.” (Hear, hear Ed.)
Unfortunately, although these were designed some time ago, they don’t appear to be in production. Here’s what Simon Kinneir told us
“the glasses and mug into production over the next year, this is yet to start. And the jug can be made to order. Please note; the Hob Guard the magnet fixes the guard to the hob, not the pan. And the Jug frame is not designed to be wide to provide better grip; the Jug is the more sculptural piece of the range, illustrating the potential of amplifying feedback inherent in the task at hand – in this case balance as a result of change in mass.”
Let’s hope they can be bought soon.
Second, is the pre-launch announcement by NIKE of a pair of sneakers that feature its latest breakthrough: adaptive lacing. Primarily for athletes at this stage, they have an obvious cross-over use for people who have problems with shoes that fit. The athlete steps into the ‘HyperAdapt 1.0’ the heel hits a sensor, prompting the built-in system to automatically respond to the wearer’s unique foot dimensions. Two buttons on the side of the shoe tighten and loosen the sneaker as necessary.
Inspired by the footwear Marty Mcfly wore in the movie ‘Back to the Future,’ that were conceived by renowned NIKE designer Tinker Hatfield
‘about 25 years ago I designed a back to the future shoe that had a power lacing system, and we thought that was great for the movie, but it was just fantasy, right?’, Hatfield told Designboom.
But now they’re scheduled to be a reality and released at the end of 2016. Nike also have another trainer designed for a boy with Cerebral Palsy and are part of the LeBron James collection, the Flyease.
They have a wraparound zip that opens the back of the shoe near the heel, it’s easier to slide the foot in and out – a great design detail that benefits anyone with a dropped foot. They were available last year but sold out immediately. We’ve checked to see if they’re coming back (from the future) and they’re the LeBron Soldier9 Flyease and can be found in the Nike store .
Third in the list, No Cuts – This is so newsworthy we cannot ignore. Stephen Crabb the new work and pensions Secretary speaking to Radio Pembrokeshire in his local constituency, said:
“We’re not going to be going ahead with these cuts to disability benefits that were proposed on budget day. I was very clear when I discussed the offer of the job this morning we were not going to go ahead with the cuts that were proposed….The prime minister has confirmed that himself,”
Crabb was appointed the day after Friday’s resignation of Iain Duncan Smith, who quit with a scathing letter directed at Chancellor George Osborne and his proposed £4 billion cuts to Personal Independence Payments.
“We still do need to make difficult challenging decisions about how we manage our finances,” Crabb said, but PIPs were ruled out of the equation………
We’ll wait and see, he did vote in favour of reducing the Employment Support Allowance for disabled people.