Beyond Hands: A Design Exploration of Hand Prostheses and Their Transformative Impact on Disability Perspectives

Abstract Our contribution delves into the realm of prosthetic design, using prostheses as examples to illuminate their transformative influence on disability perspectives. Rooted in Crip Technoscience principles, we argue for positioning disabled individuals as active contributors to the design process, challenging conventional disability – but also design paradigms. Drawing on historical examples and a qualitative approach, we capture heterogeneous experiences, highlighting the frictioned coupling of bios, technology, and self-techniques of the body within mechanistic, aesthetic and hybrid connectivities. By integrating the concept of soma design, a holistic aesthetic approach, we explore co-design as a means of challenging existing disability concepts. This examination, enriched by case examples, emphasizes the bodily interdependence and non-dualistic stances inherent in soma design, prompting a political reconsideration of norms. Through aesthetic experiences and expressions embedded in co-design, a pluralistic understanding of bodies emerges, contributing to a broader perspective in the field of “Design Studies Beyond Design”. This research broadens the interdisciplinary study of design, using prosthetic hand design as a focal point deepening the analysis of disability history and design studies. Thereby, we provide crucial insights into the transformative potential of crip technoscience and soma design using exemplary cases to illustrate their broader implications.