Restricted View
Charlotte Caluwaerts
Antwerp, Belgium
About
Graduated in Graphic Design from Sint Lucas in 2024. Currently pursuing an Applied Master’s degree at Sint Lucas with an internship at HUMO.
Project
Restricted View explores how human centered design can improve the museum experience for wheelchair users. Museums often promote inclusion. Yet many spaces still exclude people in wheelchairs. Accessibility is usually treated as a technical solution instead of a human experience. Existing solutions can feel hidden, patronizing or humiliating.
This project holds up a mirror to museums. “This space is fully wheelchair accessible” does not always mean that the space is fully accessible to people who use wheelchairs. As part of this project, I created an exaggerated object that solves every obstacle by adding another element to the wheelchair itself. The absurdity of the object exposes the real problem. Museums should invest more in how accessibility is experienced by wheelchair users. With Restricted View, human centered design becomes a way to rethink accessibility through dignity, comfort and belonging.