This is the inaugural blog post for the Centre for Applied Research in Inclusive Arts and Design (CARIAD), Cardiff Metropolitan University.
The overarching aim of CARIAD is to determine practical tools, processes and communication avenues that can lead to sustainable interactive solutions for populations with the severest challenges in daily life as a result of developmental, cognitive and sensory disabilities. We are a multidisciplinary team with a focus on provoking social and technological change though inclusive design. Drawing on CARIAD expertise, from product design, psychology, interaction design, performance analysis, creativity and cognition, our ethos is not only to provide new ways of seeing and understanding real world issues, but to create artefacts and environments that implement change. Many exciting projects are underway with partners at three local schools, Ashgrove, the Hollies and Trinity Fields; an FE College, Beechwood; the Touch Trust movement therapy centre and Rhondda Cynon Taf Community Arts. Members of CARIAD have secured a number of funding sources, including AHRC, ESRC, EPSRC, Higher Education Academy, and Technology Strategy Board. Two iPad apps, ReacTickles Magic and Somantics, have been recently released in partnership with software designers Hellicar & Lewis and Marek Bareza.
March 20th, 2012 at 1:34 PM
Wendy is Reader in Inclusive Design at Cardiff School of Art and Design and Co-Founder of the Centre for Applied Research in Inclusive Arts and Design. Her award-winning software programme, ReacTickles, has captured the imagination of children and adults on the autism spectrum, as well as their teachers and therapists, from all around the world. Her research projects have attracted funding from NESTA, ESRC/EPSRC, the National Film Board of Canada, the Higher Education Academy, Technology Strategy Board and the Rayne Foundation. Whilst Wendy’s projects have many different outputs, they share a participatory design ethos, as she is committed to including some of the most hard to engage children throughout development. She has recently released two free Apps for iPad, ReacTickles Magic and Somantics. Wendy is a Trustee of Autism Cymru and an Associate of the Autism Centre for Education Research.