ALL URBAN DESIGN SHOULD BE HUMAN-CENTERED

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE PATH TO ACHIEVING IT

The key to people with disabilities working at planning and architecture firms is aggressive recruiting. 

Universities that teach urban design, architecture and engineering must be reaching out to high schools to recruit students with disabilities. 

Many may think you have to climb a telephone pole or ease down to a sewer line to perform the work.

Truth is, the vast majority of work is done on a computer.

And all but the most remote of field visits can be done by wheelchair.

Graduate design programs should aggressively recruiting nontraditional students and midcareer professionals with disabilities.

Firms should very aggressively recruit, train, promote and retain people with physical and other disabilities.

I’m tired of hearing “we can’t find anybody than can do the job.”

Or “if we hired them, their role would be very limited and they could not be a project manager.”

I’m old enough to have heard that about both women and people of color in the urban design/architecture/engineering fields.

There still is not full parity, but aggressive recruiting and retention at every level has boosted numbers tremendously.

Some of those folks who couldn’t get an internship are now the owners of award-winning, influential firms owned by women and people of color.