UPDATE: The Petition has has over 20 signatures! Thank you for signing.
IDSA’s Special Interest Sections are composed by members of our Society who share expertise and passions in a specific topical area. Sections provide immense membership value by creating relevant, professional communities built on informative content and engagement within narrow focus areas of our profession.
This proposal and petition are the first step in the establishment of the Disability Section. If you would like to support this Section (regardless of your current location or area of practice), please add your name to the petition. When at least 20 active IDSA members sign, the Society’s Board of Directors will review the petition and approve the establishment of the Section by a majority vote.
About the Disability Section
IDSA has a long history of advocating for Universal Design, from the former Universal Design Section started by IDSA members in the late 1990s to the 2015 Universal Design Symposium. In 2021, the Xbox Adaptive Controller was awarded Best in Show at IDSA’s 41st annual International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA). But there is much more to do and support, especially for the disabled designers in our community and to ensure that designs are made with and for all.
Disability is an important part of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that deserves more attention, understanding, and change, from the classroom to the design studio and beyond. The Disability Section will help educate the IDSA community about the challenges that people with disabilities face, and the advantages of allyship. This insight is particularly important for designers working in the medical product space, where users with disabilities are often the significant majority. This Section will also highlight the problem-solving prowess of people with disabilities. Out of daily necessity, this population devises creative ways to navigate environments, systems, and products that were not designed with them in mind. Engaging with the intersectionality of design and disability will mutually benefit the lives of individuals affected, as well as the development of the products they use.
Through the Disability Section, IDSA members will learn about:
- Stories, challenges, and successes of disabled ID students and professionals
- Academic institutions and courses focused on disability and/or universal design
- Universal Design
- Intersection of disability and human factors
- Intersection of disability and healthcare / medical product spaces
- ADA policy
- Academic and employment accommodations
- Ableism and best practices to prevent it
- Do’s and don’ts / successes and failures of accessible design
- Companies, studios, independent designers, and products that support the disabled community
Emily Siira, IDSA will be the first Chair
Nancy Perkins, FIDSA will be the first Vice Chair
By completing the petition below, you are stating your support of the establishment of a Disability Special Interest Section. This call for responses will remain open from July 14 to August 15, 2022.