Conversations on accessibility, empathy, and implicit bias

Above: Richard Sternadori Above: Ricardo León

More than one billion people across the world experience a form of disability. In the United States alone, one in four adults live with at least one disability. With the great foundation laid by the ADA and universal design, there have been significant strides toward equal access across multiple facets of civil justice. Disability rights advocates and AIA associates Ricardo León and Richard Sternadori both consider that there is still work to do in the realms of implicit bias and ableism.

Ricardo León, Assoc. AIA, is an architectural designer at Baldridge Architects in Austin, Texas and has a Master of Architecture from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the University of Texas at Arlington. His perspective aligns with that of JSA/MIXdesign. Quoting Joel Sanders, FAIA, he argues that “what makes someone disabled is not their medical condition, but ableism, whose ramifications lead to barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing the built environment.”

Richard Sternadori, Assoc. AIA, has been senior education coordinator and research director for the University of Missouri (MU) Department of Architectural Studies, Great Plains ADA Center since 2008. He holds a Master of Architecture from MU where he is honorary faculty. He also has a Master of Education in Counseling Psychology, with a specialty in disability rehabilitation.

Gabriella Bermea (GB): How would you describe the impact of implicit biases challenging accessibility today?

Ricardo León (RL): Accessibility is just one part of this topic of implicit bias. It is the direct interface of how we translate our work with people with disabilities. Architects rely heavily on code and ADA to resolve our needs, but the conversations we have when designing and making decisions create spaces that are for a certain audience. Disability is something I deal with every single day. It is not something I can turn off. I am living and I am disabled. This is my life and how I navigate.

Richard Sternadori (RS): We are grateful to be working with organizations like AIA, NOMA, and the International Code Council on a national level toward impact. Learners begin to see the complexity and nuances of what we can do as designers. Often, the content points back to an implicit bias, and how disabilities impact those with them, as well as families,

and friends. Living with a disability is when people begin to ‘get it.’ Understanding that about the reader is important. What will compel our designers to want to know more?

GB: Where are our gaps?

RL: Representation is important. It is about who you bring to the table in design and while talking about its impact on accessibility. Accessibility is not a topic as highly focused in school. It is hard to combat implicit biases because no one is in our corner, fighting for our voice, and thinking about design solutions accessibly.

RS: We are not requiring training for students and catching biases early on. We can open the doors of exploration for accessibility conversations. The accessibility foundation of education is sorely lacking when it comes to having designers conversant in building codes and ADA design standards. After graduation, interns are not prepared for the realities of construction permitting. Eliminating biases must come early in architectural education.

GB: What are your words of advice for the future of universal design and social equity?

RL: We must understand the needs of our disabled audience and for what we are fighting. You must understand your own implicit biases and what language to use; you must also have respect for people with disabilities and trust what they are saying and believe in it. It is not clear cut; we do not all have the same story. Each person has a unique experience based on their forms of disability, and ethnic and gender orientation. Understanding people’s perspectives is the first step toward … fighting injustices. There must be dialogue and allyship. There’s work on the architect’s part to get out there and understand different perspectives. Immerse yourself in what it is that the disability community is talking about and fighting for, in any way you can define. RS: The educational process must look beyond mobility to include other impairments like chemical sensitivities, hearing, and visual impairments. There are nuances. Architects do not always understand what it means to have a disability when using a building. It is an implicit bias within an implicit bias. We must target empathy and education.

GB: How can we improve as a profession toward a socially accessible environment?

RL: To truly look toward change, we must look beyond the ADA. Although it is great in its efforts, there is a need to think beyond the existing guidelines and look internally at the impact architects and designers have on the built environment. We have to be a part of the solution. RS: We need to impact professional development and licensure with mandatory educational credit hours in accessible design. Licensure candidates are having to learn about the minimums too late. The ADA and adopted building codes are the line in the sand, the bare minimums. Improving requires education. We must compel people to seek greater perspectives.

Given the advice from both Ricardo and Richard, we must challenge ourselves, for the future of our work, to decide how design will help or hurt the environments around us and accessibility for all. Architects and designers have a social responsibility to deepen the understanding of the perspectives of a wide audience of people with different identities and embodiments. There is a need for inclusivity to bring the voices of all persons together to create social equity and inclusive public space from architectural education to professional practice.

Resources: • Stella Young, “I’m not your inspiration, thank you very much” • Crip Camp – Netflix • Body Politics: Social Equity and Inclusive Public

Space

Gabriella Bermea, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C

Gabriella Bermea, AIA Bermea is a design architect at VLK Architects in Austin, Texas, specializing in the design Pre-K-12 educational facilities. She is the 2022 co-chair of the Texas Society of Architects Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.