Elizabeth Hastings 75th Birthday

A. Elizabeth Hastings' experiences, which she shared in her speeches, deeply resonated with me. She talked about being overlooked as a real person and how people often saw her only as "brave" or "determined" without acknowledging her other qualities. Her story of being invited to a conference to speak on disability, finding herself following a presentation by someone without a disability, particularly struck a chord with me. As someone who stutters, I can relate to her feelings of frustration, anger, and determination. Elizabeth's lifelong commitment to shifting how we perceive disability is not just inspiring, it's a call to action for all of us to rethink our attitudes and behaviours towards people with disabilities.

A: I was thrilled when I heard about the opportunity to work on this Doodle. My career has primarily been in UX design, but illustration has always been a passion of mine. It's a way for me to sharpen my skills, express my creativity, and sometimes, it's just a great way to relax. This project, in particular, felt especially rewarding. The chance to create a Doodle about such an inspiring figure as Elizabeth Hastings was not just an exciting challenge, but also a deeply meaningful experience for me.

A. My primary inspiration was Elizabeth Hastings' own vision and principles. Elizabeth was an outspoken advocate for disability rights, always emphasising that these rights are fundamental human rights. For example, when she was put in charge of planning for 1981's International Year of the Disabled Person (IYDP), she fiercely objected to the idea of revolving the campaign around the images of severely disabled people. Instead, she argued the campaign should focus on giving disabled people – even people with less obvious disabilities who were stigmatised – their full human rights.

This led me to a crucial decision: whether or not to include explicit visual references to different disabilities in the Doodle. Ultimately, what inspired me most were Elizabeth's views on an inclusive society without barriers and her desire for disabled individuals to be seen as ordinary members of society.

A: I hope my Doodle conveys Elizabeth Hastings' dream of an inclusive society. Elizabeth didn't want a world that simply offered sympathy, charity, or pity to people with disabilities. Instead, she envisioned a society that eliminated barriers to everyday participation for disabled individuals and upheld their basic human rights. My aim with this Doodle is to capture and reflect the beauty and depth of Elizabeth's vision. I hope it inspires viewers to think about inclusivity and rights for disabled people in the way Elizabeth Hastings imagined.