Introduction
In 1974, Mary Ann Hiserman applied to the School of Architecture at The University of California Berkeley. Although there were few female architects at that time, this wasn’t the only thing that made Mary Ann unique. Due to Rheumatoid Arthritis, Mary Ann was an electric wheelchair user. Adaptations such as lowering workstations were made to allow Mary Ann to more easily draw. Even fifty years later, there are many barriers that make it difficult for people with disabilities to pursue careers as architects. This article will examine those barriers as well as possible solutions to them.
One essential element of The Kelsey’s Inclusive Design Standards is having people with disabilities represented on the project team. Ideally, architects with disabilities who have their own lived experience would be a beneficial part of project teams that design housing by drawing on their own experiences to infuse accessibility into projects. Unfortunately, architects with disabilities are few and far between. In considering why this is, one major factor might be that graduate schools of architecture are often physically inaccessible to people with disabilities.
The Problem
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that both public and private universities must provide equal access to students with disabilities. However, so often for colleges and universities, this is not the case, and it comes into play with those with physical disabilities wanting to attend Master of Architecture programs. As of 2018, The architecture programs at prominent schools such as Yale University, Harvard University, Princeton University, Cornell University, the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University, were housed in inaccessible buildings Barriers to architectural careers for people with disabilities often begin with the lack of accessibility in schools of architecture themselves, and even more specifically, the classroom. These barriers may include:
- Inaccessible buildings and classrooms. Students with disabilities who desire careers in architecture may find their aspirations of building a more accessible world hindered by a lack of accessibility at architecture schools. David Gissen, an architect with a disability, and author of the book “The Architecture of Disability,” is a pediatric bone cancer survivor and amputee, as well as being a professor at Professor of Architecture and Urban History at the Parsons School of Design. Gissen states that “Many of the most important architecture schools in the U.S. have facilities that disabled students, faculty, and staff cannot fully use. I am teaching as a visitor at Columbia University this semester, and I am surprised that a university that receives so much federal money (whether in the form of subsidizing of loans or more directly) can have an entire campus that is so menacing to its students and employees.”
- Tables, desks and workstations are not adjustable. Mobility and Height is one of the impact areas in The Kelsey’s Inclusive Design Standards. One architect we talked to, a wheelchair rider and hearing aid user, commented on his experience with the height of work tables at the architecture programs he attended. “In all the schools I attended, the studio spaces were full of stool-height work tables. I was able to get up onto a stool, but it was not easy.” He also added the height of work tables impacted him in observing other students’ work. “When visiting with other students at their tables, I was always looking at their drawings or models at eye level rather than from their viewpoint, which made my interactions and participation different than everyone else’s.” Although the Inclusive Design Standards are meant to apply solely to multifamily housing design, classrooms are one example of a place where this impact area may be applicable.
- Students struggling to get accommodations. Aside from challenges with accessibility of schools of architecture on physical campuses, students with disabilities who may be able to access buildings may find that their challenges don’t end there. They may struggle with getting other accommodations they need. One accessibility specialist we spoke with who works for an architecture firm said: “The biggest part of the inaccessibility was actually the people….there were, every semester, at least one teacher that would not work with my accommodations and would make a fuss, and that was way worse than any of the physical barriers.”
Experiences of Disabled Architects
Although the percentage of architects that have disabilities is largely unknown, it is very possible that the reason why the number isn’t larger is both because of the lack of accessibility of architecture schools, as well as the lack of accommodations put in place for students with disabilities at those schools. In discussing their experience in grad school, Olivia Asuncion, who described themselves as a 36-year-old wheelchair user architect from Oakland, CA who works in a firm that specializes in k-12 educational facilities, noted that in the school of architecture they attended, “The main elevator broke down a lot and what I had to do was…The architecture building was connected to a different building via…a bridge…I think it was four or five steps to get onto the bridge, and they had a lift there, so I had to have a special key that they had specifically to use that lift, and then I had to have it happen at the right time, otherwise, the doors to the next building would be closed. ” Additionally, the architect added that where the school of architecture was housed is “….known to be a hodgepodge of different buildings stuck together. There were a lot of issues with certain sections of the building being lower than others, and then you would need to access it using a lift, and…those don’t work a hundred percent of the time, and what happens if I can’t get to my studio that’s five steps down? Because there are instances where I need to be there at night, what does it mean if the elevator breaks down at 10:30 pm or 2:30 am?” Due to the demands of architecture school, students having access to workspaces when they need them is a critical factor of their success, and when inaccessibility prevents that from happening, it can put students with disabilities at a disadvantage.
In discussing the accessibility of graduate schools with architects with disabilities, the experiences of architects varied, and it should be pointed out that not all of the experiences that the architects shared were negative. One architect we talked to who identified themselves as a wheelchair rider and hearing aid user stated that their architecture school was“…was 15 minutes from our family home, I’d seen it in person, and knew that it would be usable. In retrospect, this heavily influenced me not to look into other schools that may have had better scholastic opportunities.” They also added that the administration helped to ensure that their classes would be held in accessible classrooms.“There would be classes that were upstairs in non-elevator buildings, but the administration made sure classes I was signing up for were in accessible locations,” the architect notes. It is important to note that there are students who have positive experiences with accessibility at schools, as it may prompt other architecture schools to realize the benefits of accessibility for students.
Solutions-Architecture Programs and Students with Disabilities
Accessibility, recruitment, and networks of support are three areas that schools of architecture can focus on if they want to make a concentrated effort to be more welcoming to students with disabilities.
- Accessibility. It seems simple, but if an architecture school wants to attract students with disabilities, their campuses and buildings need to be accessible. The lack of accessibility in buildings where these programs are housed excludes prospective students with disabilities from attending programs at these schools, when architects and builders themselves are the ones that can design solutions to these problems. Accessibility of academic buildings would allow for a more diverse student population of people with disabilities, and give those students the opportunity to pursue careers in architecture.
Many institutions have online architecture programs that would allow students to bypass the physical barriers of inaccessible buildings. During the COVID -19 pandemic, colleges and universities everywhere were forced to rethink how to educate students who could no longer physically be in the same space. Online learning became a way of life and a necessity for millions of students across the country. As the world began to ease back into our previous in-person lifestyle as the pandemic waned, there were calls from those in the disability community to keep online events, as they were beneficial for people with disabilities who didn’t have to deal with inaccessible transportation systems, or the fear of catching COVID. Schools of architecture may attract more students with disabilities by utilizing and advertising degree programs that are online, and because of this, perhaps more accessible. Arizona State University, Southern Illinois University, Rochester Institute of Technology, Boston Architectural College, Lawrence Technological College and Dunwoody College of Technology all offer online Master of Architecture degrees. (Note: The Lawrence Technological Program does have a course that requires students to be physically on campus for one week) While online learning may not be the best solution for every student, it may be beneficial for students at older universities who may run into accessibility issues with buildings where graduate schools of architecture are housed. - Recruitment. Schools of architecture can make their websites more welcoming and targeted to students with disabilities. In discussing with one architect with disabilities how schools of architecture can be more accessible to students with disabilities, the architect commented that “The biggest thing architecture schools can do is right out of the gate, before people are even applying, make sure that the information about the program is accessible.” Accessibility statements should be available on the sites of most architecture schools. Boston Architectural College’s Accessibility Statement is a strong example of a well-written statement. Graduate schools of architecture can also recruit students who may be interested in careers in architecture by reaching out to offices of disability services at undergraduate programs with information about their programs, and by noting in doing so, ways in which their programs are accessible. Intentional practices of recruiting students with disabilities can create graduate students of architecture with disabilities, who become architects with disabilities who could help design a more accessible world.
- Networks of Support. Deterrents to students with disabilities attending architecture programs, such as lack of accessibility, are evident. Yet, if there is an increase in students with disabilities studying architecture, it may be beneficial to them to form an affinity group to offer mutual support as they go through architecture programs. Affinity groups supporting other minority groups exist, such as the National Organization of Minority Architects, which exists with the mission of “….building of a strong national organization, strong chapters and strong members for the purpose of minimizing the effect of racism….” A network like this could exist and be purposeful for architecture students with disabilities, except, in this case, the group would exist with the purpose of minimizing the effects of ableism in architecture. As Tom, an architecture student in the UK states about student support networks, “‘When the university you’re in is not doing a very good job of supporting you, an external organisation that any student can access can be a critical lifeline.” Perhaps if students with disabilities knew there was a network they could turn to for support as they go through school, they would feel more comfortable about going into the profession.
Conclusion
How could the future of the field of architecture be shaped by more people like Mary Ann Hiserman if classrooms were more accessible? Accessibility of classrooms and buildings, recruitment targeted to potential architecture students with disabilities, and support networks could all play critical roles in increasing the number of architecture students with disabilities, and ultimately architects with disabilities in the profession. We hope the future holds answers to this from architecture schools, but more intentional actions must be taken by architecture programs. Ultimately, they ensure the success of these students by accommodating their requests and making sure they feel included, welcomed and accepted. The saying “Nothing About Us Without Us” is often used as a battle cry born of the disability rights movement that highlights the necessity of always being included in decisions that affect their lives. This is why it’s so important for the field of architecture to not only accept but embrace and encourage people with disabilities to enter the profession. In order for architecture to continue to be infused with accessibility, architects with disabilities are essential.
Additional Resources