Neurodiversity can be an invisible barrier between accomplishment and women in society. Neurodiversity in women is widely under recognised and under diagnosed, which is a huge concern. If we exclude disabled women from the conversation, we’re missing out a huge chunk of the female population. Women are under pressure to conform in a male-dominated neurotypical space.
Our focus is young girls who are highly underserved when it comes to the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD. Diagnosis for young girls is extremely complex and may take a long time for a proper diagnostic test to come out. A lack of diagnosis and subsequent care impacts their mental health. Many of them experience anxiety, stress, and low self-esteem, which can feel intolerable by early adulthood.
Our proposed intervention is a sensorially stimulating ADHD-friendly booth that provides comfort and support to young girls who may or may not have ADHD. Since there is no clear diagnosis for ADHD in young girls, we wanted to create a concept that helps boost mental health, self-perception, and ultimately provide a comforting space for them. Our goal is to situate the booth in the real world, making it transportable and easily installable so that a wide range of places can have access to it. This would give every girl the chance of diagnosis and understanding. We hypothesized that the booth would be located in schools, airports, and hospitals.
An extremely important aspect of this project has been reflecting on the value and social responsibilities that we have as designers. We wanted to create a space that would be safe and comforting for young girls, while also being environmentally friendly. This required us to think critically about our choices of materials and design. Designing for a sensitive audience like children on the cusp of a diagnosis with the support of RCA and medical professionals helped us develop a response that was meaningful, effective and multidisciplinary. Through these activities, we were able to develop a deeper understanding of justice, equality, and misinformation.
