Aug. 27, 2024

Ferris State, Disability Advocates of Kent County team up to boost accessibility for all through training, research

Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design is working with Disability Advocates of Kent County to expand collaboration on inclusive design projects, giving students more opportunities to boost accessibility for more people.

Inclusive design focuses on making products, services, or environments usable for as many people as possible, particularly groups traditionally excluded from being able to use items or navigate environments.

Ferris State’s KCAD and Disability Advocates have a history of working together. Instructors in the Architecture, Interior Design, and Collaborative Design programs have collaborated on curriculum, conducted field trips, and accepted project critiques from Disability Advocates staff members.

“The work of our Kendall College of Art and Design in West Michigan continues to uphold the tradition of partnering with our regional stakeholders, and this collaboration is no exception,” Ferris State President Bill Pink said. “This partnership allows our students learn from experts in this field to remove barriers people encounter every day, and then use that knowledge in all they do.”

Leaders from the university and Disability Advocates signed an agreement on Monday pledging to continue working together for create opportunities to help students and faculty and incorporate inclusive design principles into projects and serve as a resource for future students and organizations.

Disability Advocates is a nonprofit organization that works alongside persons with disabilities as they seek to lead self-directed lives. It provides an array of services throughout Kent, Mecosta, Ionia, Montcalm, and Osceola counties to individuals with physical, cognitive, mental, and sensory disabilities and their families.

“Disability Advocates is excited about this opportunity to partner with Ferris State University and Kendall College of Art and Design to help further our vision that each person, regardless of their abilities, has equal rights and opportunities and that our communities are accessible and welcoming to all,” said David Bulkowski, Disability Advocates executive director.

The partnership calls for developing an institutional resource that becomes the go-to place for inclusive design reference, such as the collection of research, information, and a network of organizations doing this work in West Michigan and beyond.

KCAD programs have different lens for considering and applying inclusive design. Digital Art and Design and Graphic Design programs, for example, look at inclusive design through the lens of print and digital accessibility, such as color, contrast, websites, e-readers for text. The partnership will help expand these conversations and inclusive design practice across all programs.

The partnership provides KCAD students with the opportunity to explore the diversity of the human experience and better understand inclusive design.

Students will receive training, resources, and real-world experience for the next generation of designers while building crucial skills for the 21st century: agility, curiosity, empathy.