The Cost of Retrofitting: Building a foundation for accessibility

 

Inclusion for students with disabilities requires more than just presence in the classroom; it requires a thoughtful design of educational experiences that enhance learning outcomes for all students. This concept parallels the architectural process of constructing a building: both require intentional planning and design to ensure accessibility and functionality.

In Dr. Shelley Moore’s Five Moore Minute video, “The Cost of Retrofitting” she highlights the difficulties of modifying existing systems to be inclusive. Retrofitting an educational environment is akin to adding elevators to a building after it has been built, often resulting in costly and insufficient solutions. Instead, we must design inclusivity into our educational frameworks from the outset.

In this podcast episode, Shelley talks to Outside Pin, Emily Mostovoy-Luna, about using a building as a metaphor to think about the steps needed to construct inclusion, that is; community engagement, planning, design, materials, building and maintenance.

To watch the video and access supplementary resources for this podcast episode, click here.