DAAP students learn design accessibility through a new lens
Students in Stevie Famulari’s horticulture and landscape architecture classes are given a unique opportunity to learn — hands on — the importance of being intentional in their architectural designs for accessibility.
In Famulari’s classes they engage themselves in the challenges that people who use wheelchairs encounter when a public space is not inclusive.
Horticulture and landscape architecture are taught at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).
Group photo of landscape architecture students learning about designing for accessibility. Photo by An Le.
With wheelchairs provided by National Seating and Mobility, along with Care Medical Inc., the students traveled around campus noting spaces that are accessible and spaces that posed challenges, as well as developing creative design solutions.
“The experience provided me with a unique perspective, passing by many paths that I would not normally travel. A campus tour allowed me to evaluate its accessibility, not only the design that meets legal requirements, but also whether it is truly accessible to all students,” says Chuhan Zhang, a fourth-year architecture student.
The students learned how to navigate their wheelchairs on different terrain including hills, grassy spaces and uneven surfaces.
“Creating accessible and accommodating spaces requires thoughtful consideration of both interior and exterior design elements. For instance, the exterior of a building should feature clear, well-defined pathways that are wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs,” says fourth-year architecture student Jumana Elayan on her ideas to create an effective change.
Understanding how to be inclusive and equitable, needs to be a part of the process at the beginning, not an afterthought.
Stevie Famulari
Students in Landscape Architecture discuss their experiences. Photo by An Le.
“It's not about tearing apart an already designed space,” says Famulari, a visiting professor at DAAP who has been in this role for the past year. However, Famulari has been professor for 15 years teaching all around the country including New York, North Dakota and New Mexico.
Her list of accomplishments shine in career achievements: Artworks and environmentally focused designs have been featured on The Travel Channel, Good Morning America, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Stevie Famulari. Photo by Dave Kolpack.
She published her first book in 2019, “Green up!”, about using sustainable designs to create a better working and living environment and is now working on her fourth book on equity and inclusion in green design.
A huge passion of Famulari’s is the importance of thinking about accessibility when designing. She strives to increase the awareness of a designer's knowledge of usable spaces for everyone.
She points out how to improve spaces to make them more usable for as many people as possible through thoughtful creative design interventions.
“Understanding how to be inclusive and equitable, needs to be a part of the process at the beginning, not an afterthought,” says Famulari.
Designers, she adds, should be thinking about how to make a space accessible for all early on in their design process.
Famulari says she learned about wheelchair teaching exercises during her years in graduate school. Her professor wanted the students to learn about making accessible changes to their campus. Famulari was required to navigate campus in a wheelchair during wintertime, making it more difficult, so she could better understand how to design accessible spaces.
Famulari brings what she learned to a new generation of students.
Feature photo at top by An Le, student intern at DAAP.
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