{"id":22503,"date":"2024-12-03T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/innovationhub\/?p=22503"},"modified":"2024-12-03T13:40:55","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T18:40:55","slug":"empowering-students-through-accessible-design-celebrating-international-day-for-persons-with-disabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.studentlife.utoronto.ca\/innovationhub\/empowering-students-through-accessible-design-celebrating-international-day-for-persons-with-disabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering Students Through Accessible Design: Celebrating International Day for Persons with Disabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"
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December 3rd<\/sup> is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. In this blog post, Manavi discusses Accessibility by Design as a tool to reduce barriers for students with disabilities at the University of Toronto.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by Manavi Goyal, Blog Editor & Content Writer, Honours Bachelor of Science, Psychology Specialist, Economics Major, and Sociology Minor<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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Today marks the 32nd year of the United Nation\u2019s commitment to building more equitable and accessible resources for persons with disabilities. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed annually on December 3rd as a reminder of our united goal to create equitable and inclusive environments for all individuals. As we celebrate this day, we aim to shine a light on the importance of accessible design. Accessibility by design can be an important mindset that pushes us to ideate strategies to reduce barriers and ensure that everyone can engage in campus experiences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility by Design: A Foundation for Inclusion <\/h2>\n\n\n
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When I began studying at U of T, I didn\u2019t understand the significance behind the resources available to students of various backgrounds to support their needs. I was unfamiliar with the vital role accessible designs play in supporting students with disabilities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After joining the Innovation Hub, I heard the phrase \u201cAccessibility by Design\u201d for the first time. It is a principle that highlights the importance of designing programs, events, and other services while ensuring they are accessible for individuals with varying abilities. Accessibility by Design is integral as it emphasizes the need to account for challenges each environment may pose to individuals with physical, sensory, cognitive, or neurological disabilities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Accessibility by Design ensures that students feel comfortable engaging in a space without worrying about the impact their disability may have on their interactions. In the educational system, course structures or syllabuses that encompass the needs of students are examples of designing for accessibility. Designing academic support for students with visible and invisible disabilities in mind is vital to ensuring ineffective resources do not bar students from engaging with or excelling in campus life and academics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Empathy as a Pre-Requisite to Accessible Design <\/h2>\n\n\n
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As I thought about how we can commit to accessibility by design, I realized that a commitment to empathy is necessary first. We can\u2019t be sure that our designs are equitable and accessible without considering the potential barriers that diverse groups of people may encounter while trying to engage with them. I believe that a deeper integration of empathy into design processes ensures that barriers to students with disabilities are addressed proactively and effectively. It presents an opportunity to continually improve upon resources and deliver enriching experiences that enable student excellence and engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking a compassionate approach and practicing solution-oriented behavior assists students in deriving equitable experiences from accessible structures. Students with and without disabilities may feel comforted by the seamless inclusion of accessible designs into campus-wide structures and appreciate steps taken to address inequitable practices. We can achieve this by collaborating with students with and without disabilities to ensure accessibility concerns are proactively addressed and designs are attentive to the complex needs of our student population. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Small Changes, Big Impacts: iHub Student Reflections <\/h2>\n\n\n
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To understand what accessibility by design means to our team of work-study students at iHub, we facilitated a discussion about student experiences with accessible and inaccessible designs on campus.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students highlighted the utility of small structural components that addressed diverse accessible needs, appreciating the provision of water fountains at different heights and various locations in its ability to support students of varying ability and hydration needs. They expressed how applying these principles to improve upon navigational designs such as signage or updated accessible maps can indicate empathetic consideration of diverse student needs on campus.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students also appreciated workshops that used access checks to begin sessions, suggesting incorporating this into classroom settings so students can easily reach out for help anonymously if needed. Furthermore, they expressed other small changes in design such as the use of standing desks or spacious desk arrangements can improve physical and mental wellbeing in classrooms, increasing opportunities for engagement.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our students highlighted how small changes to campus structures can greatly contribute to the student experiencing by creating an inclusive atmosphere that encourages positive interactions. They recognized the positive value of accessible designs on student well-being and stressed the importance of a continued commitment to explore this and facilitate equitable environments that promote student engagement and excellence.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Committing to Accessibility and Inclusion   <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As today is the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, I am reminded of our shared responsibility as part of the University of Toronto community to continually work towards designing more equitable and accessible resources. Accessibility can be an asset if used by design rather than as an afterthought to the design process. We must commit to incorporating accessibility by design into our campus to ensure the provision of equitable opportunities for all students to engage and excel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

University of Toronto Resources for Students with Disabilities:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n