Elizabeth Sclater was once invited by Roger Coleman of the Royal College of Art, London, to a talk there by Patricia Moore, an industrial designer who, in her 20s between 1979 and 1982, visited several North American cities disguised as an elderly woman. A leading Hollywood make-up artist radically “aged” her appearance, and she applied artificial restrictions to her joints, hearing and vision. In that guise she was frequently abused, marginalised and subjected to discrimination.
Elizabeth introduced her husband, Alan Topalian (a member of a British Standards Institute committee), to Roger, and the two put forward a proposal for a new British Standard, BS7000-6, a guide to managing inclusive design (2005). The standard highlights how appropriate consideration of the needs of people with disabilities and the processes involved in managing inclusive design lead to more effective designs for everyone.
