Inclusivity Focus

What is it?

The inclusivity focus is about accessibility of displays at LEGO fan events.  Basically, the idea is for fans displaying at shows to ask themselves “what can I do to make my display more enjoyable for a wider range of people?”.  And then to actually do something to achieve this goal.   We work to have at least some of the displays at each show designed for an inclusivity focus in some way.  Since these are personal displays that people provide for the show, it isn’t possible to do this for all displays at the present time.

A wider range of people?  Many younger kids are too short to see stuff on full height tables.  Sight impairment means that touching a display would be very meaningful.  Disabled people using wheelchairs might not be able to get close enough to see the details.

The inclusivity focus is intended to bring awareness about these types of things to builders as they make creations and set up displays.  Why not bring the incredible inspiration of these awesome displays to a broader group?

What can I do?

We have been experimenting with various ideas over the past couple years.  Some things we have done are:

• Lowering the height of a display to about 15 inches (half the height of a standard banquet table and 1/3 the height of many train displays at train shows).  This is great for younger kids and people using wheel chairs.  But, it is not so low that taller kids and adults can’t enjoy the full effect of the display.
• Making display items that the public can physically handle.  Kids love to touch everything.  So, why not let them touch?  Usually it is because the display will get broken.  So, something that can be considered during design is to have a few items to sit out front for the kids to actually handle.
• Everyone is drawn to movement.  This is why trains and the Great Ball Contraption are so popular at shows.  Adding even the simplest of movement to your display helps people with sight impairment see it better.