Brighton graduate rethinks everyday design at the V&A

Combining her background in inclusive arts with experience working in museums, a University of Brighton graduate has developed a series of projects exploring accessibility and everyday design as part of a residency at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Jess Starns, who completed her MA in Inclusive Arts Practice at the University of Brighton’s School of Art & Media in 2020, is one of three residents selected for the Adobe Creative Residency. The programme supports creatives to develop new work over a year, culminating in a public exhibition at the museum, which is on display until 1 November 2026.

Based within the museum’s schools team, Jess’ work focuses on inclusive design approaches that respond to everyday barriers, particularly for disabled and neurodiverse people.

Jess Starns

As part of the residency, she has developed a project described as a “cookbook that’s not a cookbook”, designed to support people who may experience challenges with cooking and eating, including those linked to disability, neurodivergence, fatigue, or anxiety around food. The resource aims to reduce barriers to everyday meal preparation by breaking tasks into manageable, adaptable steps that can be tailored to individual needs and abilities.

The work explores areas such as dexterity, fatigue, sequencing, and food avoidance, and is designed to support greater independence and confidence in the kitchen by making processes easier to follow and less physically or cognitively demanding.

Presented as a series of individual cards, the cookbook combines illustrated step-by-step guidance, QR-linked video content, and adaptable templates, allowing users to adjust or simplify instructions to suit different energy levels, environments, and preferences.

Jess said: “This project was about recognising that accessibility looks different for everyone. I wanted to create something that could be shaped by the individual, rather than expecting people to fit into a single way of doing things.”

Alongside this, Jess developed a collaborative design studio titled “That’s Effort!”, working with young people experiencing emotional-based school avoidance in partnership with Football Beyond Borders, a youth charity that uses football and creative mentoring to support young people facing challenges in education and help improve engagement, wellbeing, and attainment.

The project brought together participants, youth workers, and museum staff to explore inclusive design, creating a space for young people to contribute directly to design processes while building confidence and communication skills. This led to the development of an arm-worn water bottle, created with and for a walking aid user, designed to address the challenge of staying hydrated while moving without needing to hold or reach for a bottle, while reducing physical strain and interruptions to mobility.

During the residency, Jess also developed educational resources linked to the museum’s collections, designed for use in schools. These materials use objects from the museum to help students learn through observation and discussion, encouraging them to think about how design affects access and inclusion.

They include guided prompts and classroom activities that introduce ideas around disability, accessibility, and everyday design, and are intended to be used by teachers beyond the duration of the exhibition as part of ongoing learning.

Jess previously worked for over eight years at the British Museum and was named University of Brighton Alumna of the Year in 2022 for her work supporting young people with dyspraxia.

She credits her time at the University of Brighton with helping to shape her approach to inclusive practice. The MA Inclusive Arts Practice course emphasised collaboration, experimentation, and working closely with communities, encouraging students to develop work grounded in lived experience and real-world contexts.

She said: “The course had a big influence on how I approach my work. It really shaped the way I think about inclusion and reminded me to keep lived experience at the centre of what I do. Working collaboratively and engaging directly with people’s everyday realities continues to be a core part of my practice, and something I still draw on in every project I develop.”