The Accessible Product Design Alliance, a group of 11 not-for-profit health consumer organisations, has released a joint position statement to highlight the struggle with inaccessible products and packaging experienced by their 5 million consumers living with chronic conditions and disability across Australia and New Zealand.

The Alliance is focused on raising up their consumers’ voices to industry and government for immediate change, as difficult to open products and packaging cause day-to-day frustration for people without disability. However for those living with one or more disabling conditions, they cause unnecessary physical pain, stress and negatively impacts a person’s independence.

Muscular Dystrophy Foundation of Australia CEO Ryan Talsma echoes the importance of good design: “People with muscular dystrophy and similar muscle wasting conditions face barriers to participating in society everyday, preventing them from being independent in even the simplest tasks in life like opening a packet. In addition to accessible packaging removing a barrier to independence – it also contributes to societal values of inclusion, fairness, and equality.”

View the full media release here