February 5, 2026
Design and disability are so often discussed in terms of basic “accommodation” and “access,” yet my visit to the V&A’s Design and Disability exhibition completely shifted that perspective. Rather than framing disability as an issue to be fixed, the exhibition presents it as a culture, a rich set of identities, and a radical design force shaping practice from the 1940s right up to today.
From accommodation to culture
Walking into the exhibition, what struck me first was its framing as both a celebration and a call to action. That duality matters: it honours the ingenuity of Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent designers while making it clear that design still has such a long way to go.
Rather than centring medical narratives or “overcoming,” the exhibition foregrounds disability as an identity and culture expressed through objects, garments, and media. This shift encourages designers to stop seeing access as a checklist and start seeing it as a creative brief. In short, this should become second nature to designers.
Disabled people as design leaders
The exhibition showcases the radical contributions of Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent people and communities to both design history and contemporary culture. It underlines that disability-led design is not a niche trend but a longstanding practice.
A quote in the exhibition describes it as “world-shaping” and “boundary-breaking,” and that feels accurate not just for the show itself, but for the design approaches it highlights. Design is not simply made for disabled people here; it is made by them, with lived experience driving form, function, and aesthetics.
Adaptive fashion as a creative frontier
One of the most compelling threads is adaptive fashion, including a 1960s adaptive wedding dress and shoes that quietly disrupt expectations about what bridal wear can look like. These pieces demonstrate that garments designed around access needs can still be glamorous, expressive, and emotionally resonant.
Adaptive fashion challenges designers to think about fastenings, weight, balance, and sensory experience, without sacrificing style. It reframes clothing as a site where dignity, practicality, and beauty intersect, instead of a compromise between “medical” and “fashionable.” In fact, I’ve noticed on recent trips to Primark that they have now included a range of adaptive clothing.
Community, performance, and public space
The exhibition also gestures beyond products to the social and performative side of design, from carnival costumes to community-centred projects. A feature on making a Notting Hill Carnival costume, for example, shows how bespoke wearable pieces can be tailored to individual bodies and access needs while remaining spectacular.
This attention to performance and public celebration reminds us that inclusive design is not only about ramps and interfaces; it is also about who gets to be visible, joyful, and central in shared spaces. Design, in this framing, is a tool for belonging.
When “futuristic” design becomes accessible by accident
A lot of what we think of as “futuristic” design is, in reality, quietly accessible by default. Voice assistants, smart home devices, automated doors, touchless taps, large on-screen typography, dark modes, and wearable tech are all marketed as sleek, cutting-edge innovations; however, they also remove barriers for many Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent people. When designers chase convenience, minimal friction, and seamless interaction, they often end up creating features that work brilliantly for people with different sensory, cognitive, or mobility needs. The challenge, and the opportunity, is to move from accidental accessibility to intentional inclusion, treating these “futuristic” moments not as happy accidents, but as starting points for genuine disability-led design.
A call to designers and institutions
Leaving the V&A, I felt that Design and Disability succeeds precisely because it refuses to separate aesthetics from ethics. It invites designers to recognise Disabled, Deaf, and neurodivergent communities as key authors of design history and as partners in shaping its future.
For anyone working in design, whether in fashion, products, digital, or environments, the exhibition is a reminder that accessibility is not an afterthought but a source of creative innovation.
At Immediate Future, for example, we have been adding subtitles to all video assets for several years as a concrete step towards more inclusive communication. And for institutions, it sets a powerful example of how to create with disability in mind and not as an afterthought.
If you enjoyed reading this blog and would like to chat more about design, social media, and how Immediate Future can help you, then do give us a shout!
After all, we don’t run your social. We make it work.