Most disability aids
have been developed with only function in mind. But like all consumers, people with disabilities want choice and creativity as well as functionality. They want products that don’t make them look disabled or ill, and which provide them a sense of self and the
chance to express their individual style.
At funkstl, we address this desire in two ways:
· By sourcing good-looking,
high-performing products and making them available through our e-commerce website.
· By working with
designers to develop our own products for people with disabilities. Consumer-led design is a core part of our strategy, and we’re currently working with people with disabilities to prototype production of customised products they have developed themselves
and which have demonstrated consumer demand.
We believe that design is not simply about the aesthetic, but that there is dignity in design. Our mission is to provide people with disabilities with access to the latest, greatest
and value-for-money products by bringing a whole range of functional and stylish products to market.
Wouldn't it be great to also create opportunities in developing nations? Disability aids in developing countries remain the last frontier of world health and design thinking. In the long term, it's
our aim to bring functional and stylish products to these developing areas.
First, we identify people who have hand-made or designed their own inspired disability products because they couldn't find what
they were looking for, or opted not to 'buy the beige'! We want to produce on a larger scale what these everyday design
experts have made and bring the products to a wider market, with funds going back to the person who came up with the awesome idea in the first place.
Second, we have also sourced incredible designers who
think differently about health and function and have products desperate to see a broader market yet lack the business incentives to take it further. funkstl will partner with these designers to bring their designs and products to the world.
Third, when developing products, we work with design engineers and therapists on specific projects for a specific demographic in a chosen country. We are involved from the design
phase – providing input into aesthetics, functionality, simplicity and the desires of the users – through creating the
prototype, considering the viability of production and arranging
manufacturing of suitable products.
funkstl
started out of the need for bigger and better choices in disability products around the world.
Heids and Egs, a sister and brother team
from Brisbane – one an applied researcher of brain injury and the other a technology specialist – started funkstl after recognising the need for a variety of stylish disability products from the people they work with.
While we have a desire to change the way many people think about disability, it's not actually about us. It's also not really about disability. It's about
equal access to good design and inspiring products.
We think able-bodied people have co-created a disabling world, and therefore should be part of the solution. There is diversity and dignity in design, and a single product can make a world of difference. Our
logo represents the intersection of the human body in space with aspiration to always progress forward.
