Design for All feat. Mei-Yee Man Oram

As part of our ‘Design for All‘ series, we speak with Mei-Yee Man Oram, Global Accessibility and Inclusive Environments Lead at Arup.

Mei-Yee works across projects that shape how accessible and inclusive our built environment can be. With a background in architecture and art history, and long-standing involvement in social integration community schemes, her work balances the spatial and social sides of design.

ADLIB: Can you please introduce yourself, what you do and tell us about your experience?

Mei-Yee Man Oram: My name is Mei-Yee Man Oram, and I am the Global Accessibility and Inclusive Environments Lead at Arup. I have been at Arup for 21 years, and our team specialises in inclusive design in the built environment, from design interventions to policies and standards, from product to city scale, across all sectors.

Over the last 21 years, I have seen the inclusive design field change substantially. Where early in my career there was a focus on compliance and legislation, there is now a shift to best practice, human-centred design, co-design and co-production. Inclusive design is seen in a more holistic way, and there is much more understanding of its interactions with and impacts on commercial performance, public reputation, usage, health and wellbeing, and many other factors.

ADLIB: How important is inclusion to your work?

Mei-Yee Man Oram: Inclusion is at the heart of Arup’s work – thinking about what people need, and how we can address that in our projects, to design out barriers and to level the playing field for participation, opportunity and joy.

One particularly impactful and rewarding project was with a client in mainland Europe who is responsible for a number of cultural museums. I really enjoyed working on this project, as it centred accessible design throughout, bringing together:

1. the opportunity to collaborate with local partners to look at both the local regulatory context, together with international best practices;
2. dialogue with local communities in each of these areas, to understand local needs and lived experiences, and to feed this back into the design process; and
3. the chance to look at present needs, as well as future trends and opportunities – e.g. at the impact of ageing populations on the staff working at the museums, of members of the public visiting the museums, etc.

ADLIB: How are you promoting inclusive design through your work and what are some of the challenges you’ve faced?

Mei-Yee Man Oram: We promote inclusive design through our work, working with our clients and collaborators to identify barriers and opportunities that can be addressed through the project, e.g. through audits, reviews, strategies and principles / standards; to embed lived experiences and to get diverse voices into the decision making, e.g. through stakeholder and community engagement; and through working in a holistic way, looking at design, operations and management, digital, and human behaviours.

ADLIB: What are 2-3 tips you’d share to other designers trying to design more inclusively?

Mei-Yee Man Oram:

Think beyond the minimum – look to research, engagement discussions, good practice, etc. – to embed inclusion in a way that is adaptable and flexible, responding not just to current, but also to future populations of end users.

Nothing beats engagement – the discussions with end users, with the community. Be curious – learning about and celebrating the diversity of people is integral to designing a space that is good for people.

ADLIB: What are some of the resources you’ve found helpful to develop your understanding of accessibility and inclusion when it comes to your design work?

Mei-Yee Man Oram: Here are some articles and resources that our team have been involved with relating to inclusive design in the built environment.

• https://www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk/about-us/how-we-work/handbook-creating-places-work-women-and-girls
• https://www.arup.com/globalassets/downloads/insights/cities-alive-designing-for-ageing-communities.pdf
• https://www.arup.com/insights/cities-alive-designing-cities-that-work-for-women/
• https://ageing-better.org.uk/resources/age-friendly-quick-guides
• https://www.arup.com/insights/walking-for-everyone/
• https://www.arup.com/insights/cycling-for-everyone-a-guide-for-inclusive-cycling-in-cities-and-towns/
• https://www.arup.com/insights/queering-public-space/
• https://www.arup.com/insights/queer-perspectives-on-public-space/

Find the full Design For All Interview Collection here.