WE ARE TEACHING UNIVERSAL DESIGN

AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE

We have launched a first of its kind course on Universal Design.

We is my wife, Heidi Johnson-Wright, and yours truly.

Our gratitude to UMSoA Dean Rodolphe el-Khoury, Director of the Undergraduate Program Jaime Correa and countless faculty and staff members is beyond words.

My evolution as a writer and planner came about because of the UMSoA.

I learned city and regional planning from then Dean Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, who also hired me to work on writing projects. I learned about community building from the former Knight Program at the UMSoA.

My leadership as an urban policy advisor for the chairman of the Miami City Commission was fueled by various UMSoA professors and colleagues.

It has been a dream to influence you designers, to teach them about human-centered architecture and planning.

Heidi, a lifelong public servant with more than two decades of experience as an Americans with Disabilities Act professional, has used a wheelchair for mobility for four decades.

We have celebrated the triumphs of barrier-removal and railed against the injustice of even brand new buildings, streetscapes and parks that are littered with poor design that limits or largely blocks access by wheelchair.

Together, we have published nearly 1,000 articles on design, planning, policy and other issues related to people with disabilities.

I have covered Universal Design for dozens of major publications, including Planning, the magazine of the American Planning Association, which published a 2021 opinion piece advocating for the teaching of Universal Design at the higher education level.

The brilliant late architect Ron Mace created the concept of Universal Design -- defined as design usable by all people to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialization.

Universal Design goes far beyond ADA compliance.

It is elegant, welcoming, durable, efficient and sustainable.

We will be featuring guest experts – architects and consultants, many who have a disability – via Zoom and hopefully in-person at the Coral Gables campus.

We will be empowering both undergraduate and undergraduate students with the ability to design for all while making the world a better place.