For this assignment, we were asked to compile a grouping of sources that we have found depicting and further expansion on inclusion and organizational culture. We were asked to pick a topic, and immerse ourselves into the conversation, and report what we found. I chose to focus my assignment on disability inclusion, and diving into design in the workplace. My first few thoughts on the topic were broad, surrounding disability services in childhood and adolescents. My original plan was going to explain this aspect by focusing on healthcare for those with disabilities.
However as I used Syracuse Summons and Google Scholar advanced searches to find resources, I found that healthcare was an addition to a topic that has always been important for me: universal design. Universal design focuses on the inclusion of all abilities and disabilities when designing a space for individuals to gather. This topic is important to myself as I have consistently worked with those with disabilities and have seen them struggle thriving in institutions that were not designed for them. In my research, I have found that while there are barriers to giving accommodations to those in the workplace, it is not impossible to do.
The most intriguing aspect of this topic to me is the first hand accounts of those who struggle. For myself, I do not suffer from a physical ailment, so finding clothes that fit me and being able to walk is something that became monotonous. However, as I have realized before, many people do not have that same luxury as myself. Each testimony of those in the disability community is different than the other, and how they struggle in different ways to create a sort of norm for themselves.
Moving forward with this project, I am hopeful to find more resources about universal design, and the logistics of implementing such a design. I am looking to find sources that are able to identify the barriers to designing such a way, or why thinking in such a way has become rare. I believe these resources would add a layer of depth to my argument, and allow me to create a well rounded report on universal design in the workplace.