Apply now: Disability & Design Institute seeks first cohort

Design has the power to shape the disability experience and, indeed, the experience of everyone on our campus, students and employees alike. We are all designers, responsible for curriculum, policy development, communicating, event planning and more. The Disability & Design Institute is a new opportunity for staff and faculty to reframe thinking about disability and reflect on the power of design in creating seamlessly inclusive and equitable experiences for all. 

Program Overview 

• The cohort will meet one day each month from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m., October 2024 through May 2025, for a total of eight sessions.
• During these sessions, participants will explore the dynamics of community, culture, power and privilege to expand their thinking on disability and the important role design plays in access and inclusion.
• Participants will work on a project to apply new thinking on disability and design to an aspect of their work. 

The Institute will culminate in a Universal Design Symposium, open to the entire campus community, in which participants will showcase their projects. 

Made possible by a grant from the Provost’s Investment Fund, the Institute is currently accepting applications for its first cohort of 15-20 staff and faculty members for the 2024-25 academic year. The cohort will be announced in September. A second cohort is planned for 2025-26. 

Visit the Disability & Design Institute website for more information, including dates, times and locations of monthly meetings and a link to apply. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Brenda Hamilton bowenb@arizona.edu.