At twelve years old, I was gifted my first sketchbook, four graphite pencils, and a moldable eraser. I spent that entire day drawing random household objects, beginning with the old wood furnace that heated my childhood home. Ten years later, I found myself employed with ASU Project Humanities as a graphic designer. Years of studying, practicing, and perfecting my skills certainly improved the technical aspects of my work.Yet there was an important facet of graphic design I had yet to consider– unconscious bias in the graphic design world. 

Not all birthing experiences are created equal. This truth is painfully evident in the United States of America as this nation holds the worst maternal mortality rates for similarly wealthy nations. Furthermore, this trend is only getting worse with a steady rise in pregnancy-related deaths spiking for the past two decades.

Project Humanities recently hosted an interactive workshop on bathroom inclusivity and challenged attendees to consider how they themselves are made uncomfortable or left without essential accommodations. Bathrooms can be an uncomfortable topic for some people to talk about, whether from anxiety, embarrassment, past trauma from having a bad encounter, or having to use a space that was not designed for your body.