A new generation of disability scholars, activists, and designers is developing innovative approaches to accessible built environments, beyond demanding regulatory compliance. This field, known as Critical Access Studies, is questioning the ideological, epistemological, and practical underpinnings of access. Going beyond minimum standards and functional understandings of access, Critical Access has developed rich terminologies and cutting-edge design practices, both of which could transform the ways that architects understand why access matters.
However, the field has made little impact on these disciplines to date. By enabling cross-disciplinary conversations between the disabled experts developing these new concepts and practices, and disabled architects specializing in accessibility, Disability Meets Architecture amplifies the creative potential and practical application of these new ways of thinking and doing accessible design. Through short films, live events, and published materials, this project fills a vital gap in architectural discourses and practices.
Paul DeFazio will be a guest moderator for this session. Paul is an artist and architect holding a Master of Architecture (M.Arch) from Rice University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Paul works with both the Institute for Human Centered Design as Inclusive Architectural Designer & Researcher and as a design researcher with Critical Design Lab.
About the Speakers
Aimi Hamraie is an associate professor of Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University, and director of the Critical Design Lab
Jos Boys is Co-Director of The DisOrdinary Architecture Project, a UK-based platform that foregrounds disabled creativity to shift modes of practice beyond conventional notions of access across the built environment and cultural sectors.
Recent Speaker Publications
Aimi:
Hamraie, Aimi and Kevin Gotkin. “Remote Access: Crip Nightlife, Artistry, and Technoscience,” Leonardo 57 (2) (2023): 197–202.
Hamraie, Aimi and moira williams. “Remote Access: a crip nightlife party,” Lateral journal, 12.1 (2023): 1-39.
Hamraie, Aimi. “(Ir)resistable stairs: public health, desiring practices, and material-symbolic ableism,” Journal of Architectural Education 76.1 (2022):
49-59.
Jos:
The DisOrdinary Architecture Project Many More Parts Than M! Reimagining disability, access and inclusion beyond compliance 2024
Downloadable PDF and other resources https://disordinaryarchitecture.co.uk/compendium
Jos Boys “Care as active architectural practice” gta papers 7 Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture ETH Zurich 2023
Downloadable pdf https://assets.verlag.gta.arch.ethz.ch/api/assets/gta-data/gta/2023-08-07-163353--lange-schaad-care-gta-papers-7.pdf
Jos Boys “Shifting the Ground” and “Designing and Delivering Differently” Molonglo Publications online 2021
https://molonglo.com/theory/articles/shifting-the-ground
https://molonglo.com/theory/articles/designing-and-delivering-differently
Key Details
- Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025
- Time: 12:00 p.m. EST
- Location: Online on Zoom Webinar. The link will be shared upon registering through Eventbrite and in the days leading up to the event. Closed captioning will be provided.
- Type: IHCD Global Webcast
- Price: Free