2 minute read
Inclusive Design
By: Tatiana Barnes Student Employee, Disability and Access Services
In 2021, Stanford University held Engineering for All, an event that included "Inclusive Design," about designing technology that is inclusive and accessible to all students and especially those with disabilities. Two of the speakers have disabilities themselves, Including Adrian Rodriguez, a blind software engineer who designs communications that work for nonsighted people, and Stanford lecturer Lindsey Felt, who is Deaf and wears cochlear implants. Their talk gave insight on how schools and workplaces could design inclusive technology. They routinely make the point that, “when engineers design for disability, everybody benefits”.
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Engineers have been tasked with an important challenge that is more than achievable, but collectively, they have to be willing to go the extra mile and take the time to find someone that experiences or has experience with the type of disability they are concentrating on and invite them onto the team This person will then take on the role of research and development, giving real-time useable feedback This new way of solving engineering problems will lead to an inclusive future where everyone can use modern technology as it continues to change.
The creation of intricate, inclusive technology is left up to the engineers of the world, but what about within the classroom or workplace? Have you ever thought about how your lecture class would be if you were disabled in any way? Blind? Deaf or hard of hearing? How would you manage in the physical space of the classroom? These are some simple questions that can be unintentionally overlooked every day.
Consider our campus Can you identify the accessibility features? What are the accessibility features of the technology we use here? How can you make your work more accessible? Try using the "Accessibility" function within documents you write and edit your text to better suit those who use screen readers, or simply include image descriptions when posting on social media.
There are so many ways to make life more accessible and inclusive for all kinds of folks - try one and let us know how it goes!
