It is not everyday that a person will witness a disabled individual navigating underwater territories in her (or his) wheelchair, but that is exactly what Sue Austin has succeeded in doing. An impressive feat, to say the least, Sue Austin uses a special self-propelled underwater wheelchair designed in collaboration with dive experts and academics to enjoy such an expedition.
An artist based in London, England, Sue Austin has been wheelchair-bound since 1996. She writes that over the ensuing years, her studio has "centred around finding ways to understand and represent my embodied experience as a wheelchair user, opening up profound issues about methods of self-representation and the power of self-narration in challenging the nexus of power and control that created the ‘disabled’ as other." Dubbed Finding Freedom, Sue Austin's latest project does just that.
Underwater Wheelchair Explorations
Finding Freedom by Sue Austin Rethinks Disabled Individuals
Trend Themes
1. Underwater Accessibility Technology - This trend presents an opportunity for innovators to develop technological solutions that will enable people with disabilities to easily access and navigate underwater domains.
2. Revolutionizing Adaptive Sports - This trend offers an opportunity to transform adaptive sports, promoting inclusion and equal opportunities in sports for disabled individuals.
3. Disability Representation in Art - This trend offers an opportunity for artists to explore and represent disability in their art, promoting social change and challenging societal norms.
Industry Implications
1. Sporting Goods - Sporting goods companies could develop innovative adaptive products, offering disabled people a chance to participate in various sports.
2. Tourism and Hospitality - Tourism and hospitality industries could take advantage of this trend, offering underwater accessibility solutions for people with disabilities, and promoting inclusive tourism.
3. Medical Equipment and Technology - Medical Equipment and Technology companies could develop solutions that enable disabled individuals to access and navigate various terrains and environments, promoting independence, freedom, and inclusion.