ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elise Roy - Lawyer, artist, human rights advocate
Elise Roy thinks that designers have the capacity and responsibility to address and resolve human problems on micro and macro scales and contribute to social well-being.

Why you should listen
Deaf from the age of ten, Elise Roy has been a design thinker from early on, constantly adapting her environment and its tools to serve her extraordinary abilities.
 
A Division I athlete in both soccer and lacrosse, Roy participated in the Olympic Development Program for soccer. In the classroom, she learned how to teach herself from books. At Brown University, Roy was recognized as one of the nation's elite soccer goalkeepers. She also began to see herself as an advocate for people with non-normative abilities. During her freshman year, the University tried to take away real time captioning, a cross between closed captions that you see on television and a courtroom stenographer, enabling her to hear and participate in the classroom for the first time. After organizing the other Deaf students at the University and meeting with several deans, Roy was able to secure the real time captioning for the remainder of her time at Brown.

Following Brown, Roy turned down an invitation to play professional soccer and instead opted for law school at Northeastern University. While in law school, Roy became actively involved in gay and lesbian rights, acting as a fellow for the human rights campaign in Washington D.C. Upon graduation, Roy received the highly prestigious Georgetown University Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship, with alumni and board members that included Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg as well as D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Roy was in law school when she began working on the International Disability Rights Treaty at the United Nations, the first such human rights treaty to be passed in the 21st century. She quickly found herself thrust from a mere observer to the leader of her Article on culture, sport, recreation and leisure. The treaty, the first human rights treaty at the United Nations to be passed in the 21st century, was ratified in 2007. Over 155 countries have become signatories. After the treaty was signed in 2007, she traveled the world to see it put into action. Her work took her to Southeast Asia and the Gulf region as well as Africa. 

Roy's deafness has always given her a heightened awareness of how profoundly design shapes the social, emotional and physical environment and this led her to study human-centered design in Maryland Institute College of Art's (MICA) Social Design program. Premised on the foundational notion that complex social problems require creative problem solving through design, she completed a master's degree with a thesis that investigated the barriers that exist for individuals with hearing loss in the fabrication technology and design realm. She researched various tools to identify possible adaptations for the Deaf user based on the auditory information emitted. 

Roy promotes design thinking as fundamental to progressive social change and is a passionate proponent of applying social impact and human-centered design research to international aid and development work.
More profile about the speaker
Elise Roy | Speaker | TED.com
TEDxMidAtlantic

Elise Roy: When we design for disability, we all benefit

Elise Roy: Quando criamos design para pessoas com deficiência, todos ganhamos

Filmed:
1,366,535 views

"Acredito que a perda da minha audição foi uma das maiores dádivas que já recebi na vida", diz Elise Roy. Como design thinker e advogada atuante na defesa de pessoas com deficiência, ela sabe que ser surda lhe proporciona uma forma única de experimentar e de reformular o mundo, uma perspectiva capaz de solucionar alguns dos nossos maiores problemas. Como ela disse: "Quando criamos design primeiro para pessoas com deficiência, geralmente acabamos gerando soluções melhores que aquelas que geramos quando criamos design para pessoas sem deficiência".
- Lawyer, artist, human rights advocate
Elise Roy thinks that designers have the capacity and responsibility to address and resolve human problems on micro and macro scales and contribute to social well-being. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

Jamais vou esquecer o som
das risadas com meus amigos.
00:13
I'll never forget the sound
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00:15
of laughing with my friends.
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Jamais vou esquecer o som
da voz da minha mãe antes de dormir.
00:19
I'll never forget the sound
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00:20
of my mother's voice
right before I fell asleep.
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Também jamais vou esquecer
o som reconfortante da água
00:26
And I'll never forget
the comforting sound of water
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00:30
trickling down a stream.
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escorrendo por um riacho.
Imaginem o meu medo, puro medo,
00:34
Imagine my fear, pure fear,
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quando, aos dez anos de idade,
me disseram que eu perderia a audição.
00:38
when, at the age of 10,
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00:40
I was told I was going to lose my hearing.
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Nos cinco anos seguintes,
minha audição foi piorando,
00:45
And over the next five years,
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00:47
it progressed until I was classified
as profoundly deaf.
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até que fui classificada
com deficiência auditiva profunda.
Acredito, porém,
que ter perdido minha audição
00:54
But I believe that losing my hearing
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00:57
was one of the greatest gifts
I've ever received.
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foi uma das maiores dádivas que já recebi.
Consigo perceber o mundo
de uma forma única,
01:02
You see, I get to experience
the world in a unique way.
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e acredito que essas experiências únicas
que as pessoas com deficiência têm
01:06
And I believe that
these unique experiences
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01:10
that people with disabilities have
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01:13
is what's going to help us
make and design a better world
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são o que vai nos ajudar a criar
e desenvolver um mundo melhor
01:18
for everyone -- both for people
with and without disabilities.
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para todas as pessoas,
tenham elas deficiências ou não.
Já fui advogada, em causas
de direitos de pessoas com deficiência,
01:25
I used to be a disability rights lawyer,
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01:27
and I spent a lot of my time
focused on enforcing the law,
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e passei muito tempo
focada na defesa da lei,
01:31
ensuring that accommodations were made.
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garantindo que ela fosse inclusiva.
De repente, tive de aprender
política internacional,
01:33
And then I had to quickly
learn international policy,
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01:38
because I was asked to work
on the UN Convention
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porque fui convidada para trabalhar
na Convenção das Nações Unidas
01:42
that protects people with disabilities.
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que protege pessoas com deficiência.
Como líder da ONG na ONU,
01:45
As the leader of the NGO there,
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01:48
I spent most of my energy
trying to convince people
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gastei muito da minha energia
tentando convencer os outros
01:53
about the capabilities
of people with disabilities.
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sobre o potencial
das pessoas com deficiência,
mas, em algum momento da jornada,
01:57
But somewhere along the way,
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02:00
and after many career transitions
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após muitas mudanças de carreira
que não deixaram meus pais muito felizes,
02:03
that my parents weren't so happy about --
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02:05
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:06
I stumbled upon a solution
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me deparei com uma solução
02:09
that I believe may be
an even more powerful tool
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que acredito que pode ser
uma ferramenta ainda mais poderosa
02:15
to solve some of the world's
greatest problems,
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na solução de alguns
dos maiores problemas do mundo,
02:18
disability or not.
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relacionados ou não com deficiência.
02:22
And that tool is called design thinking.
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Essa ferramenta se chama
"design thinking".
Design thinking é um processo de criação
de inovação e solução de problemas.
02:27
Design thinking is a process
for innovation and problem solving.
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Ele tem cinco etapas.
02:33
There are five steps.
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02:35
The first is defining the problem
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A primeira é definir o problema
e entender as limitações que ele impõe.
02:38
and understanding its constraints.
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A segunda é observar as pessoas
em situações do dia a dia
02:41
The second is observing people
in real-life situations
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02:46
and empathizing with them.
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e ter empatia por elas.
02:48
Third, throwing out hundreds of ideas --
the more the better,
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A terceira é pôr pra fora várias ideias.
Quanto mais ideias, melhor;
quantas mais loucas, melhor.
02:52
the wilder the better.
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A quarta é criar protótipos:
juntar o que for possível,
02:55
Fourth, prototyping:
gathering whatever you can,
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o que você conseguir encontrar,
02:59
whatever you can find,
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03:01
to mimic your solution, to test it
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para demonstrar sua solução,
testá-la e aperfeiçoá-la.
03:03
and to refine it.
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Por fim, a implementação:
03:05
And finally, implementation:
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03:08
ensuring that the solution
you came up with is sustainable.
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garantir que a solução
que você criou seja sustentável.
03:15
Warren Berger says that design thinking
teaches us to look sideways,
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Warren Berger diz que o design thinking
nos ensina a olhar para os lados,
a reformular, a aperfeiçoar,
a experimentar
03:21
to reframe, to refine, to experiment
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03:25
and, probably most importantly,
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e, talvez principalmente,
a fazer perguntas idiotas.
03:27
ask those stupid questions.
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Os "design thinkers" acreditam
que todos são criativos.
03:31
Design thinkers believe
that everyone is creative.
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Eles acreditam em reunir pessoas
de diferentes áreas de atuação,
03:36
They believe in bringing people
from multiple disciplines together,
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03:41
because they want to share
multiple perspectives
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porque querem compartilhar
de múltiplos pontos de vista,
03:44
and bring them together
and ultimately merge them
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juntá-los e, enfim, misturá-los
para criar algo novo.
03:47
to form something new.
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03:51
Design thinking is such a successful
and versatile tool
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O design thinking é uma ferramenta
tão versátil e bem-sucedida
que já foi aplicado em quase todos
os ramos de atividade.
03:55
that it has been applied
in almost every industry.
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Vi o potencial que ele tinha de resolver
os problemas que eu enfrentava
04:00
I saw the potential that it had
for the issues I faced,
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e decidi voltar a estudar
e concluir um mestrado em design social,
04:04
so I decided to go back to school
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04:08
and get my master's in social design.
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área que estuda como utilizar o design
para criar mudanças positivas no mundo.
04:11
This looks at how to use design
to create positive change in the world.
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Enquanto estudava,
me apaixonei por marcenaria,
04:18
While I was there,
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04:19
I fell in love with woodworking.
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mas rapidamente percebi que estava
deixando algo passar despercebido.
04:22
But what I quickly realized
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04:24
was that I was missing out on something.
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Ao usar uma ferramenta,
04:28
As you're working with a tool,
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04:31
right before it's about
to kick back at you --
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pouco antes de ela quicar
de volta em sua direção,
04:33
which means the piece or the tool
jumps back at you --
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ou seja, quando a ferramenta
salta em sua direção,
04:36
it makes a sound.
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ela emite um som.
E eu não conseguia ouvir esse som.
04:38
And I couldn't hear this sound.
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Então, decidi: "Por que não
tentar resolver isso?"
04:41
So I decided,
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04:43
why not try and solve it?
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Minha solução foram óculos de segurança,
04:46
My solution was a pair of safety glasses
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projetados para dar
um alerta visual ao usuário
04:49
that were engineered
to visually alert the user
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para aplicar mudanças na ferramenta,
antes de o ouvido humano perceber.
04:53
to pitch changes in the tool,
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04:56
before the human ear could pick it up.
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Por que designers de ferramentas
não pensaram nisso antes?
05:00
Why hadn't tool designers
thought of this before?
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05:04
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
05:06
Two reasons: one, I was a beginner.
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Duas razões: primeiro, eu era iniciante.
A falta de experiência ou de sabedoria
convencional não me impediram.
05:10
I wasn't weighed down by expertise
or conventional wisdom.
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05:16
The second is: I was Deaf.
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Segundo, eu era surda.
05:20
My unique experience of the world
helped inform my solution.
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Minha percepção diferenciada do mundo
me ajudou a criar essa solução
e, conforme prossegui, continuei
buscando mais e mais soluções
05:25
And as I went on, I kept running into
more and more solutions
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05:29
that were originally made
for people with disabilities,
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que foram feitas originalmente
para pessoas com deficiência
05:33
and that ended up being picked up,
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e que acabaram sendo usadas,
abraçadas e adoradas por todos,
05:36
embraced and loved by the mainstream,
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deficientes ou não.
05:39
disability or not.
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Isto é um descascador de batata OXO.
05:41
This is an OXO potato peeler.
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Ele foi criado originalmente
para pessoas com artrite,
05:43
It was originally designed
for people with arthritis,
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mas era tão confortável
que todos o adoraram.
05:47
but it was so comfortable,
everybody loved it.
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Mensagens de texto: foram criadas
originalmente para pessoas surdas.
05:51
Text messaging: that was originally
designed for people who are Deaf.
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E, como vocês sabem,
todos adoram isso também.
05:56
And as you know,
everybody loves that, too.
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05:59
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
06:01
I started thinking:
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Comecei a pensar:
e se mudássemos nossa mentalidade?
06:03
What if we changed our mindset?
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E se começássemos a criar design
primeiro para pessoas com deficiência,
06:07
What if we started designing
for disability first --
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em vez de para os não deficientes?
06:12
not the norm?
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Como podem ver, quando criamos design
primeiro para pessoas com deficiência,
06:14
As you see, when we design
for disability first,
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06:18
we often stumble upon
solutions that are not only inclusive,
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geralmente nos deparamos com soluções
que são não só inclusivas,
mas normalmente melhores que quando
criamos para pessoas não deficientes.
06:24
but also are often better
than when we design for the norm.
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E isso me empolga
06:30
And this excites me,
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06:31
because this means that the energy
it takes to accommodate someone
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porque isso significa que a energia
necessária para abranger
pessoas com deficiência
06:38
with a disability
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06:39
can be leveraged, molded and played with
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pode ser potencializada,
moldada e utilizada
06:44
as a force for creativity and innovation.
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como uma força criativa e de inovação.
Isso nos leva da mentalidade
de tentar mudar os corações
06:49
This moves us from the mindset
of trying to change the hearts
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e da mentalidade
de tolerância da deficiência
06:55
and the deficiency mindset of tolerance,
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06:58
to becoming an alchemist,
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a nos tornarmos alquimistas,
07:01
the type of magician that this world
so desperately needs
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o tipo de "mágico" de que este mundo
tão desesperadamente precisa
07:05
to solve some of its greatest problems.
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para solucionar alguns
de seus maiores problemas.
Bem, eu também acredito
07:08
Now, I also believe
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07:10
that people with disabilities
have great potential to be designers
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que as pessoas com deficiência têm
grande potencial para serem designers
dentro do processo do design thinking.
07:15
within this design-thinking process.
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Sem saber, desde muito jovem,
07:18
Without knowing it, from a very early age,
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sou uma design thinker,
e venho aprimorando minhas habilidades.
07:21
I've been a design thinker,
fine-tuning my skills.
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Por natureza, os design thinkers
são solucionadores de problemas.
07:25
Design thinkers are, by nature,
problem solvers.
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Imaginem tentar conversar com alguém
07:31
So imagine listening to a conversation
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e entender apenas 50% do que foi dito.
07:35
and only understanding
50 percent of what is said.
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Não dá pra pedir que repitam cada palavra.
07:41
You can't ask them to repeat
every single word.
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A pessoa se aborreceria com vocês.
07:44
They would just get frustrated with you.
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07:47
So without even realizing it,
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Então, sem sequer perceber,
07:50
my solution was to take
the muffled sound I heard,
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minha solução foi pegar o som abafado
que eu ouvia, que era a batida,
07:55
that was the beat,
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transformá-lo num ritmo
e encaixá-lo na leitura labial que faço.
07:56
and turn it into a rhythm
and place it with the lips I read.
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Anos mais tarde, alguém comentou
que minha escrita tinha "ritmo".
08:01
Years later, someone commented
that my writing had a rhythm to it.
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Bem, isso é porque percebo
as conversas como marcações rítmicas.
08:08
Well, this is because I experience
conversations as rhythms.
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08:14
I also became really,
really good at failing.
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Também fiquei muito, muito boa em falhar.
08:19
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
08:20
Quite literally.
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Literalmente.
No meu primeiro semestre
estudando espanhol, tirei um D.
08:22
My first semester in Spanish, I got a D.
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Porém, aprendi
que, quando eu me reerguia
08:26
But what I learned
was that when I picked myself up
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e mudava algumas coisas,
08:30
and changed a few things around,
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no fim, eu acabava me saindo bem.
08:32
eventually, I succeeded.
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Da mesma forma, o design thinking
incentiva as pessoas a falharem,
08:37
Similarly, design thinking
encourages people to fail
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e com frequência,
08:41
and fail often,
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porque, no fim, vão se sair bem.
08:43
because eventually, you will succeed.
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Pouquíssimas inovações no mundo
08:47
Very few great innovations in this world
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08:51
have come from someone succeeding
on the first try.
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vieram do sucesso que alguém teve
na primeira tentativa.
08:56
I also experienced this lesson in sports.
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Também aprendi isso nos esportes.
Jamais esquecerei meu treinador
dizendo à minha mãe:
09:01
I'll never forget my coach
saying to my mom,
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09:05
"If she just didn't have her hearing loss,
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"Se ela não tivesse perdido a audição,
estaria na equipe nacional".
09:08
she would be on the national team."
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09:12
But what my coach, and what I
didn't even know at the time,
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O que meu treinador e eu
não sabíamos na época
09:17
was that my hearing loss
actually helped me excel at sports.
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era que minha perda de audição na verdade
me ajudou a ser ótima nos esportes.
Ao perder a audição,
não só seu comportamento se adapta,
09:22
You see, when you lose your hearing,
not only do you adapt your behavior,
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mas seus sentidos também se adaptam.
09:28
but you also adapt your physical senses.
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Um exemplo disso é que minha
percepção visual aumentou.
09:32
One example of this
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09:34
is that my visual
attention span increased.
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Imaginem uma jogadora de futebol
vindo pela lateral esquerda.
09:39
Imagine a soccer player,
coming down the left flank.
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09:44
Imagine being goalkeeper, like I was,
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Imaginem uma goleira, como eu era,
e a bola vindo pela lateral esquerda.
09:46
and the ball is coming
down the left flank.
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Uma pessoa com audição normal
teria uma perspectiva visual assim.
09:49
A person with normal hearing
would have the visual perspective of this.
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Minha vantagem era que eu tinha
uma perspectiva desse tamanho.
09:54
I had the benefit of a spectrum this wide.
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09:58
So I picked up the players over here,
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Eu percebia as jogadoras aqui,
se movendo e atravessando o campo.
10:01
that were moving about
and coming down the field.
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Eu as percebia mais rápido
e, se a bola fosse tocada,
10:03
And I picked them up quicker,
so that if the ball was passed,
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conseguia me reposicionar
e estar preparada para agarrar a bola.
10:07
I could reposition myself
and be ready for that shot.
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Como vocês podem ver, sou design thinker
praticamente desde que nasci.
10:12
So as you can see,
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10:14
I've been a design thinker
for nearly all my life.
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Minhas habilidades de observação
se aperfeiçoaram e consigo notar coisas
10:18
My observation skills have been honed
so that I pick up on things
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que outras pessoas jamais perceberiam.
10:23
that others would never pick up on.
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Minha necessidade constante de adaptação
me tornou uma ótima idealizadora
10:27
My constant need to adapt
has made me a great ideator
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10:31
and problem solver.
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e solucionadora de problemas.
Já tive que fazer isso muitas vezes,
com limitações e restrições.
10:33
And I've often had to do this
within limitations and constraints.
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É uma coisa com que os designers
têm frequentemente que lidar.
10:38
This is something that designers
also have to deal with frequently.
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Recentemente, meu trabalho
me levou ao Haiti.
10:44
My work most recently took me to Haiti.
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Os design thinkers normalmente
buscam situações extremas
10:48
Design thinkers often seek out
extreme situations,
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10:52
because that often informs
some of their best designs.
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porque elas geralmente os ajudam
a criar seus melhores designs.
No Haiti, foi como
"uma tempestade perfeita".
10:56
And Haiti -- it was like a perfect storm.
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Eu morei e trabalhei
com 300 pessoas surdas
11:00
I lived and worked
with 300 Deaf individuals
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que foram realojadas
depois do terremoto de 2010,
11:05
that were relocated
after the 2010 earthquake.
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mas, cinco anos e meio depois,
11:09
But five and a half years later,
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ainda não havia eletricidade,
ainda não havia água potável,
11:13
there still was no electricity;
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11:15
there still was no safe drinking water;
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ainda não havia oportunidades de emprego,
11:18
there were still no job opportunities;
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ainda havia criminalidade desenfreada
e que passava impune.
11:21
there was still rampant crime,
and it went unpunished.
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Várias organizações internacionais
de assistência apareceram,
11:25
International aid organizations
came one by one.
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mas apareciam com soluções
pré-estabelecidas.
11:29
But they came
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11:30
with pre-determined solutions.
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Não apareciam prontas
para observar e se adaptar
11:33
They didn't come ready
to observe and to adapt
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com base nas necessidades da comunidade.
11:38
based on the community's needs.
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Uma organização
deu cabras e galinhas a eles,
11:42
One organization gave them
goats and chickens.
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mas não perceberam que havia
tanta fome naquela comunidade
11:47
But they didn't realize
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11:48
that there was so much hunger
in that community,
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que, quando os surdos iam dormir à noite,
sem poder ouvir nada,
11:52
that when the Deaf went to sleep
at night and couldn't hear,
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11:56
people broke into their yards
and their homes
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seus quintais e casas eram invadidos,
suas galinhas e cabras eram roubadas,
11:59
and stole these chickens and goats,
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até que todas se acabaram.
12:02
and eventually they were all gone.
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Se essa organização tivesse se disposto
12:06
Now, if that organization
had taken the time
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a observar as pessoas deficientes,
a observar a comunidade,
12:11
to observe Deaf people,
to observe the community,
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teria percebido o problema delas
12:17
they would have realized their problem
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e, talvez, tivesse arranjado uma solução,
12:19
and perhaps they would have
come up with a solution,
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12:23
something like a solar light,
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como uma luminária à base de luz solar,
iluminando um curral seguro à noite,
onde as cabras e galinhas poderiam ficar,
12:26
lighting up a secure pen
to put them in at night
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garantindo a segurança delas.
12:31
to ensure their safety.
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Não é preciso ser design thinker
12:34
You don't have to be a design thinker
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para pôr em prática as ideias
que compartilhei com vocês hoje.
12:38
to insert the ideas
I've shared with you today.
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Vocês são criativos.
12:43
You are creative.
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Vocês são designers.
12:46
You are a designer --
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12:49
everyone is.
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Todos são.
Deixem que pessoas como eu ajudem vocês.
12:52
Let people like me help you.
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Deixem que as pessoas com deficiência
ajudem vocês a olharem para os lados
12:56
Let people with disabilities
help you look sideways,
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13:00
and in the process,
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e, nesse processo,
13:02
solve some of the greatest problems.
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resolverem alguns dos nossos
maiores problemas.
É isso. Obrigada.
13:05
That's it. Thank you.
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13:06
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Leonardo Silva
Reviewed by Ruy Lopes Pereira

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elise Roy - Lawyer, artist, human rights advocate
Elise Roy thinks that designers have the capacity and responsibility to address and resolve human problems on micro and macro scales and contribute to social well-being.

Why you should listen
Deaf from the age of ten, Elise Roy has been a design thinker from early on, constantly adapting her environment and its tools to serve her extraordinary abilities.
 
A Division I athlete in both soccer and lacrosse, Roy participated in the Olympic Development Program for soccer. In the classroom, she learned how to teach herself from books. At Brown University, Roy was recognized as one of the nation's elite soccer goalkeepers. She also began to see herself as an advocate for people with non-normative abilities. During her freshman year, the University tried to take away real time captioning, a cross between closed captions that you see on television and a courtroom stenographer, enabling her to hear and participate in the classroom for the first time. After organizing the other Deaf students at the University and meeting with several deans, Roy was able to secure the real time captioning for the remainder of her time at Brown.

Following Brown, Roy turned down an invitation to play professional soccer and instead opted for law school at Northeastern University. While in law school, Roy became actively involved in gay and lesbian rights, acting as a fellow for the human rights campaign in Washington D.C. Upon graduation, Roy received the highly prestigious Georgetown University Women's Law and Public Policy Fellowship, with alumni and board members that included Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsburg as well as D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.

Roy was in law school when she began working on the International Disability Rights Treaty at the United Nations, the first such human rights treaty to be passed in the 21st century. She quickly found herself thrust from a mere observer to the leader of her Article on culture, sport, recreation and leisure. The treaty, the first human rights treaty at the United Nations to be passed in the 21st century, was ratified in 2007. Over 155 countries have become signatories. After the treaty was signed in 2007, she traveled the world to see it put into action. Her work took her to Southeast Asia and the Gulf region as well as Africa. 

Roy's deafness has always given her a heightened awareness of how profoundly design shapes the social, emotional and physical environment and this led her to study human-centered design in Maryland Institute College of Art's (MICA) Social Design program. Premised on the foundational notion that complex social problems require creative problem solving through design, she completed a master's degree with a thesis that investigated the barriers that exist for individuals with hearing loss in the fabrication technology and design realm. She researched various tools to identify possible adaptations for the Deaf user based on the auditory information emitted. 

Roy promotes design thinking as fundamental to progressive social change and is a passionate proponent of applying social impact and human-centered design research to international aid and development work.
More profile about the speaker
Elise Roy | Speaker | TED.com