Our Learnlife impact design thinking project this cycle has been working together this ESCLAT (a non-profit educational centre for people with cerebral palsy). It was important from the beginning that learners were aware of the needs, facts and adaptations of our collaboration and to use empathetic and value driven design. We had several empathising and defining sessions where learners could ask questions to carers and hold interviews to best understand.  It became apparent that many of the young people at ESCLAT had not tried many flavours and that the food was often the same, due to most of the food needing to be puree this was an additional aspect to consider. 

So in cooking learners prepared food that you can feel, sense and taste  easily. Our learners as always did us proud in their kind nature and patient methods. The food was then puréed into a form they could ingest and enjoy. In coding our design thinking and iterating stage lead us to understand that many young people at ESCLAT love bright colours, simple short games and touch screens could not always be used with control so games were adapted to have sound control. In science they made lava lamps and slime both giving sensory fun and instant gratification to those involved! Letting our learners see the importance of understanding the different way people navigate the world with differences is a great opportunity not just for empathy but for better communication skills, problem solving and adaptive knowledge in terms of inclusivity design.