Innovation for diversity and fairness: Inclusive design of recycling facilities for visually impaired people

Today people with disabilities face numerous restrictions and difficulties if they want to participate in recycling. Among all people with disabilities, visually impaired people (VIP) probably receive the least assistance in recycling. For example, there are no provisions for helping VIP to identify and use recycling bins in the public environment. The bins have no particular assistive design to tell VIP how to use them. To explore possibilities for assisting VIP to actively and independently participate in recycling, an applied research project was conducted in Hong Kong. The project's focus was confined to recycling bins and related public facilities. This paper introduces the project and discusses the significance of participation in recycling by VIP. The paper then reviews the difficulties VIP face if they wish to carry out recycling in public environment. Using the research findings and experience of participants, this paper proposes several directions for the design of public recycling bins and related facilities, which can cater to diversity and maintain fairness for all.