DESIGNER CASE STUDY: ETHICAL DESIGN | ADAPTIVE DESIGN

When: 4pm - 5.30pm, 23rd April 2026

Where: Online - link provided one business day before event.

Presenter: Carol Taylor

Cost:

• $65 for members
• $95 for non-members 
• $35 for students/pre-service teachers

In 2001, Carol and her husband Robert hit black ice, their car rolled twice, on the second roll the roof caved in, hit Carol on the back of the neck instantly severed her spinal cord. In that split second Carol’s life was ever changed, she was left a quadriplegic, completely paralysed from the chest down.  

Believing obstacles are merely challenges waiting to be overcome, Carol is the embodiment of resilience. With the assistance of  Robert's makeshift modifications to pencils, brushes and tools she taught herself to draw, paint and create. Carol loved fashion before her injury, sustaining a spinal cord injury didn't change that. As one of the 20% of Australians forgotten by the fashion industry, Carol began designing for herself in 2002 and had a dressmaker make her designs. 

In 2018 Carol was the recipient of the Access Arts Achievement Award, and she began to create accessible clothing for others with disability. She debuted her adaptive fashion (under the initial name of MeQ Designs) at the 2019 Mercedes Benz Fashion Festival Brisbane. This was the first time an all-visible disability cast of models showcased on a national runway and was a giant leap forward for design inclusivity. Carol’s adaptive clothing designs have been exhibited in Galleries in Brisbane and Canberra and Belgium.

This workshop is intended to support VCE PD&T educators, but also teachers from specialist education settings who are looking for inspiring individuals whose practice can offer a way to engage your students in design.

Read more about Carol's work HERE.

NOTE: The link for this session will be sent via email a business day prior to the event. 

Disclaimer

The approaches outlined in this workshop are those of the author and contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of DATTA Vic. While all attempts have been made to align the advice and suggestions with VCAA expectations, the support material has not been verified by VCAA. Authors have acted with all available information from VCAA at the time of publication.

Responsibility for any loss resulting from action or refraining from action in response to the material must be accepted by users. Teachers must refer to the mandatory documents in relation to the study from VCAA, available online and updated every year.