Spring 2023
ARCH 269 002 - LEC 002
Special Topics in Construction and Materials
Social Justice in Design: An Introduction to Disability Culture, A.D.A. + Inclusive Design
Christopher Downey, Alicia Marie Coto
Class #:33669
Units: 3
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Architecture
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
3
Enrolled: 5
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 8
Waitlist Max: 5
Open Reserved Seats:
4 reserved for Students in the Master of Architecture Program
Hours & Workload
2 to 8 hours of outside work hours per week, and 1 to 4 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week.
Final Exam
MON, MAY 8TH
07:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Wurster 270
Other classes by Christopher Downey
Other classes by Alicia Marie Coto
Course Catalog Description
Selected topics in construction and materials. For current offerings, see departmental website.
Class Description
This seminar examines the innate opportunity within architecture through its immense role in shaping the world we live
to recognize, foster and deliver social justice in design. Building off a foundation of the disability community that developed on the UC Berkeley campus in the late 1960’s, this seminar is explicitly “people-first” and is rooted in the DNA of its student body. We follow the development of this community on campus as it expanded out into the city of Berkeley, across the Bay and eventually across the country emerging as the core energy of the disability rights movement that tirelessly demonstrated and secured various disability rights legislation culminating in the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) of 1991. Noting the limitations of this legislation as the minimum level of accessibility required by federal legislation, this seminar considers A.D.A. but then goes beyond to explore the emergence of a more philosophical approach to architecture through the Principles of Universal Design and to what today is more broadly understood as Inclusive Design. Questions will be raised regarding the difference of accommodation and inclusion, universal and user experience design as well as access to function and access to delight. The seminar includes reading assignments and discussions, campus accessibility surveys and recommendations for barrier removal culminating in an inclusive design proposal on campus. It looks not only at how to accommodate and better include people with disabilities but also how to learn from those different life experiences and to recognize potential opportunities for new creative possibilities while securing and empowering social justice in design.
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
Open Reserved Seats:
4 reserved for Students in the Master of Architecture Program
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials
Associated Sections
None