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What if you couldn't see or focus? Abu Dhabi visitors experience disability barriers
Guests navigated inaccessible travel websites, struggled with restaurant menus designed for visual barriers, and experienced sensory overload during Abu Dhabi Damj Awards
- PUBLISHED: Thu 18 Jun 2026, 4:50 PM UPDATED: Thu 18 Jun 2026, 5:49 PM
The loud chatter of strangers, flickering lights, and competing noises flooded the headphones, making it a struggle to hear a simple sequence of numbers. Nearby, another visitor struggled to order from a deliberately inaccessible restaurant menu, while others attempted to book travel tickets through a frustrating website.
At the Damj Awards in Abu Dhabi, inclusion was not just discussed from the stage; it was experienced firsthand, as organisers invited guests to experience what happens when products, services and environments are not designed with everyone in mind.
Booking a ticket shouldn't be the challenge
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One of the exhibits challenged visitors to book airline tickets through a deliberately inaccessible website. Tiny fonts, poor visibility and confusing layouts transformed a routine task into a frustrating exercise. Participants were asked to book tickets for a wheelchair user and a vegetarian traveller within a limited time.
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"We wanted people to experience the difficulties that someone with a visual disability may face when trying to travel," explained Mayssam Tannous, accessibility expert at DASS – the award’s partner in setting up the experiences, as she guided visitors through the activity.
After struggling through the exercise, visitors were shown an accessible version of the same website and asked to repeat the task, allowing participants to immediately compare the difference that an inclusive design can make.
The demonstration also showcased accessibility features, including QR code-based support tools, sign language integration, and Braille options, highlighting how digital services can be adapted for users with different needs.
"The barrier is not the person. The barrier is when the website is not designed for everyone."
The lesson was straightforward. "The barrier does not lie in a person's ability to book a ticket," she explained. "It lies in a system that failed to consider everyone's needs during the design stage."
One menu, many barriers
At a restaurant-themed station, visitors were handed a menu intentionally designed to be difficult to read. Small fonts, dark colours, poor contrast and cluttered layouts made ordering food surprisingly challenging. Participants were asked to place an order for three people while staying within a Dh200 budget and accommodating dietary requirements. What seemed like a simple task quickly became frustrating. The experience aimed to show how inaccessible information can restrict independence, participation and choice in everyday situations.
Participants were then shown an alternative version featuring larger text, clearer colours and more prominent images.
"Simple changes to menu design can encourage independence," explained Shamma Al Remeithi, who guided visitors through the exhibit. "When the experience is easier, people are more likely to return to those places."
The display also featured a Braille menu, which attracted particular attention from visitors. "Many people told us they had never seen a Braille menu in a restaurant before," Al Remeithi said.
Inside sensory overload
In another experience called "Within the Noise", visitors wore headphones and were asked to listen to a sequence of numbers while surrounded by overlapping sounds, conversations and distractions.
Most participants struggled to remember the numbers.
The exercise was designed to simulate sensory overload experienced by some autistic individuals.
"You are focused on me now," accessibility expert Mayssam Tannous told participants before the exercise. "You are not paying attention to the conversations happening behind us. But for some autistic people, all of those sounds compete for attention at the same time."
After repeating the exercise with fewer background sounds, participants immediately noticed how much easier it became to concentrate.
Tannous said simple interventions can make a significant difference, including quiet rooms where individuals can retreat when overwhelmed and specialised headphones that filter background noise and help users focus on conversations directly in front of them.
Reaching what everyone else can reach
A supermarket-themed challenge placed visitors in the position of wheelchair users attempting to access products on high and low shelves. Items with specifications, such as decaf coffee, were not easily visible; one had to search to find them. Participants were given shopping tasks and a limited time to complete them.
The exercise highlighted how physical barriers can turn ordinary errands into daily obstacles.
Across all four experiences, the message remained consistent: accessibility is not only about ramps and designated parking spaces. It begins at the design stage. Whether creating websites, menus, public spaces or sensory environments, organisers argued that inclusion works best when everyone is considered from the start.
The immersive exhibits were developed to encourage visitors to move beyond awareness and understand how seemingly small design decisions can have a major impact on participation, independence and dignity, explained Tannous.
