Horizons in Architectural Education: The Accessible Design Accreditation Initiative (ADAI)

We are thrilled to invite you to a timely webinar, one day before the 34th anniversary of the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Building on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the ADA extended civil rights protections to people with disabilities. By adding design standards intrinsic to civil rights. Architectural accessibility standards operate within an intertwined personal, medical, cultural, regulatory, anthropometric, ergonomic and public health framework that constitutes the everyday life of a person with a disability. Yet, there exists a rift between an architect’s absolute obligation to know and apply the accessibility standards and the extent to which design students are exposed to the national standards, codes and regulations let alone the rationale for why it matters.

The Accessible Design Accreditation Initiative (ADAI) proposes integrating new academic learning objectives based on the foundational principles of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the applicable International Code Council model codes, and the ICC/ANSI A117.1 Standard for Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities. These mandatory accessibility standards deserve a prominence in academic curricula corresponding to their substantial impact on the largest minority in the US and their role in an equitable society. The goals of the ADAI are to improve the lives of people with disabilities, the education of design students, the accessibility of built environment, and advancing academic and technical professions. IHCD’s Executive Director, Valerie Fletcher, will moderate the session with guests as respondents.

Time for live questions and answers will follow.