Hearing aids are developed within a culture of design for disability that still prioritizes discretion. Discretion in the development of assistive technologies is achieved by the masking of the product, thus generating a principle of social exclusion and placing the disability as a subject that needs to be hidden.
OH was thought to be an hearing aid and an accessory, it aims to empower people with hearing loss giving them the freedom of choice through the possibility of personalization, so that the user can wear the hearing aid as a part of his appearance, matching the hearing aid with his or her personality. It is also important to mention that the product is unisex.
By enabling personalization of the product, it becomes a means of expressing one's own individuality. Thus, various finishes and textures can be offered to the interchangeable ring, allowing the device to be used as an accessory. It is understood that with the evolution of digital manufacturing techniques, the user himself could customize the ring from a basic modeling to be provided for 3D printing.
Disconnecting the hearing aid from the stigma related to Assistive Technologies, not only does the relationship between the individual and the product changes, but the society relation with it.
This project was featured also on Yanko Design and FashNerd.
