Pedagogy 2025

Abstract

This paper presents an allied approach to inclusive pedagogy, which leverages collaborations with community partners and the capabilities of emerging technologies to bridge the divide between academia and the ‘real world’. It will elaborate on the synergistic potential of three key strategies: 1) centering design projects which address accessible space-making on the lived experience of disability by facilitating dialogue between students and representatives of the constituencies they’re designing for; 2) incorporating ‘hands-on’ engagements with the physical mechanics of disability which are organized with and led by individuals with lived disability experience; and 3) supporting the exploration of inclusive design beyond accessibility by familiarizing students with relevant regulations, limiting the complexity of design prompts, and encouraging experimentation with code-compliant propositions. The method was developed over five years of human-centered design teaching at the Virginia Tech School of Architecture, in collaboration with national, state, and local organizations serving individuals with disabilities. It has engaged students in written, oral, and performative dialogue with disability; provided hands-on experience with white canes and wheelchairs; and supported the design and deployment of creatively code-compliant exhibitions and permanent building installations. To take a few examples, students of the “AI-Accessibility” seminar innovated 3D-printed handrails with embedded QR codes and Braille indicators, CNC-milled guide stirps for floors and walls, and hands-free AI-information stations to facilitate non-visual interactions with public space. And student organizers of the “Blind Design Workshop” innovated an accessible design workflow which engaged vision-impaired participants in the manual creation of prototype clay tiles, 3D-scanned each tile, then 3D-printed them at a smaller scale so that they could be used in the assembly of physical models.