Universal Design Background/Basics
The practice of designing environments that make things accessible to everyone, regardless of ability.
What is Universal Design?
A demographic among which only ~1% pursue a Ph.D. in STEM
What are students with disabilities?
A feature found in PowerPoint and Zoom that makes presentations and meetings accessible for people with hearing disabilities.
What is Closed Captioning?
This mentality aims to eliminate concepts of “them” and “us”
What is the Universal Design Mentality?
A culture that is achieved when lab members use preferred pronouns, appropriate terminology, and respectful language
What is an inclusive lab culture?
The type of modification that includes storing materials on shelves of different heights
What is a no-cost modification?
A classic example of Universal Design (mentioned in the PowerPoint) that we encounter in our everyday lives out on the street
What is the curb cut?
The response from Harvard undergraduates regarding lab research “Didn’t feel like they’d be successful, given their level of training.”
What is their top concern?
The type of modification that includes investing in an ADA Fume Hood?
What is a substantial modification?
Two distinct design approaches, one which makes proactive changes and one which makes retroactive changes
What are Universal Design and Disability Accommodations?
An alternative lab-hiring approach to waiting for students to reach out about research positions
What is posting a research position on a listserv or database (or a similar answer)?
The type of modification that includes purchasing adjustable height desks
What is a moderate modification?