Disability and Incarceration Report Design

The MarcArthur Foundation’s Safety and Justice Challenge awarded Access Living a grant to better understand the disability perspective relating to incarceration. For nearly 40 years, Access Living has served people with disabilities living in the city of Chicago. Its staff and board are comprised of a majority of people with self-identified disabilities providing peer support, advocacy, independent living services, information and referrals and transition to community integrated living for youth and residents of institutions. 

Their report, “Access to Justice: A Cross-Disability Perspective on Reducing Jail Incarceration” sought to answer important questions, including: 1) How can we further lift the voices of justice-involved people with disabilities? How do we show support for good work that has already been done? 2) What else can we do to reduce the number of people with disabilities entering the criminal justice system? 3) How can we invest more in our communities while not leaving behind those of us who are currently or have been in jail or prison? 

Access Living approached us to bring their important findings to life. We combined text with abstract imagery, and because this report included many qualitative research results, we found creative ways to help communicate the diverse voices reflected in the text. We used color in different ways to cue the reader to the report’s structure. We also incorporated Access Living’s color palette and ensured the report was 508 compliant. This report is now being used to spark conversation and innovation around how to reduce jail incarceration for people with disabilities.