In an increasingly globalised world, with greater attention paid to environments that suit a wide range of people in a range of circumstances, inclusivity is more important than ever. Thus, The Inclusivity Experiment was born.
As an initiative built to challenge conventional ways of thinking about inclusivity, The Inclusivity Experiment couldn’t come at a better time. After two iterations – a series of lightning talks in 2018 and a workshop in 2019, both during Spark Festival – The Inclusivity Experiment is ready to face the future of education. The program seeks to educate and enlighten educators and designers, elucidating the practice of inclusive design, in collaboration with UTS (Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, Student Access Ambassadors and the Faculty of Transdisciplinary Innovation); social enterprises Remarkable and the Centre for Inclusive Design; and graphic design platform Canva.
But what is inclusive design? And how do we include it in educational practices?
Inclusive design is, as defined by the Inclusive Design Research Centre, ‘design that considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age, and other forms of human difference’. It’s about designing places, systems, and concepts that cater for differences, and in doing so, make the environment better for everyone.
Educational systems designed around inclusion benefit everyone, not just the target audience that a particular inclusive feature is aimed at. For example, ramps might’ve been built to service people in wheelchairs, but they could also help parents with prams and people on crutches. Building a system that’s inclusive for everyone means that everyone can operate on an equal plane, which can only be for the better. We all benefit from a variety of diverse perspectives in our personal and professional lives, and the same should be said for education.
If you’re curious about inclusive design in education and want to learn more, head down to the First Year and Further Experience Forum on the 20th of February. You’ll benefit from the expertise of presenters working within the inclusive education space, and take away valuable insights to utilise in your own practices.