UX Researcher / Designer
Deborah Lalush (she/her) is a disabled UX Designer and Researcher based in Raleigh, NC. During her time in undergrad at NC State University, Deborah majored in Industrial Design while studying Cognitive Science and Theater on the side. Through a combination of these interests, a love for logic-centered puzzles, and increasing joint pain, she transitioned over to a focus on UX / digital design by the end of her college career.
Only two years out from graduation, Deborah has now presented at TEDx NC State, and done both freelance and volunteer UX Design and usability audits. When she isn't working or in a frenzy of handmaking something on a whim, you can find her playing games with her friends and both of her one-eyed cats (yes, there are two of them).
Stop Gatekeeping Design!
This session will explore the definition of who “counts” as a “real designer.” Beginning with a dive into academic versus self-taught designers, the session will challenge first how definite that line should be. Transitioning through the only recent inclusion of women, the session will cover more specifically excluded communities, such as disabled designers and designers of color.
Why is “design for disability” so big while the disabled voices that influence it are never cited as anything but research? Why are there so few designers who identify as disabled when 25% of adults are disabled? Why do we collectively laud “cross-cultural design” while isolating communities of black designers? And why is it so hard to break those prejudices, specifically within design? Exploring inherited bias, academic elitism, and design-centered ableism, this session will give attendees a chance to question their own biases about who “counts” in design.
In this session, you will learn:
