Access@UMassD

by Eden McKenna-Bateman and Evan Grant

Exploring accessibility on campus was an interdisciplinary independent study, funded by the OUR. The project was focused on the architectural and spatial history of UMass Dartmouth and how *access* to spaces and resources has become available, modified, and contested– spatially and architecturally speaking– over the years. We first began by visiting the archives of the university, where important drawings and blueprints by its main architect Paul Rudolph (1918-1997) are housed. We wanted to know how Rudolph crafted his vision and in what ways he conceptualized accessibility. We then studied the physical transformation of the campus over the years and finally placed our focus on the current campus with added buildings and renovations that have modified the original design. In particular, we studied how physical access impacts the  function of our present day campus and its diverse communities. After conducting our architectural history research, we began to use our knowledge of graphic design to give an “image” to our research. The purpose of creating a bold image was to bring awareness about issues of accessibility, not only for special needs student population, but also for those students who wish to have better access to resources available on campus. Instead of doing our work behind closed doors, we wanted to engage students and faculty in our research. For the graphic design portion of this project we also explored the different ways in which we can make a more impactful presentation. We explored several activist projects on US campuses. We studied patterns, fonts, colors, and compositions that are employed in effective activist projects.

 

Poster designed by David Grant & Eden McKenna-Bateman for the final phase of their project.

Paul Rudolph. Aerial views of the campus at the Southeastern Massachusetts Technological Institute (SMTI/UMass Dartmouth), ca. 1963. Ink on linen. Courtesy of UMass Dartmouth, Claire T. Carney Library, Archives, and Special Collections.

 

Our overall objective with this study was to create collaborative and interactive projects between students and professors addressing various accessibility issues on campus. The goal was to bring awareness to issues of accessibility and its significance for student success. A substantial part of this interactive project drew on the student body’s thoughts and opinions. While the campus meets ADA requirements, those requirements only fulfill the bare minimum due to many ADA regulations being outdated, and often do not fully meet the needs of students with disabilities. The inequality in accessibility at UMassD is non-inclusive. Our study was research-focused and project-based. Throughout the course of this project, we researched and conducted interviews/surveys, and collaborated with students and faculty of various professional fields to create and deploy four projects throughout our campus that address accessibility issues while allowing students to share their thoughts and opinions on the matter.

 

 Eden Mackenna-Bateman and Evan Grant and snapshots from their installations

 

We secured funds from the OUR for multiple installation projects. We had a CVPA Elevator Survey, consisted of art installations in one elevator in each college as well as the library. The installations consisted of printed maps with roadblocks labeled, with cut vinyl applied within the elevator asking a question that students can respond to via sticky notes. In hopes of creating a broader scope to reach people, we promoted our project through pencils and stickers that spread awareness within the student body. Another installation project was Access Tours, consisted of an interactive experience that followed our original map of campus inaccessibility through the use of signage and pathway markers that allowed students and faculty to experience the roadblocks that people with disabilities face when navigating through our campus. Our third project was a collaboration between Access@UMassD and the University to integrate our findings into the interactive virtual campus map. Our fourth and final project, the Access@UMassD Exhibition presented our thesis through a display of all our research and documentation of our projects within a series of popup installations. This included the results of our first three projects, documenting student and faculty experiences, which consisted of stories, photographs and physical pieces from the installations, accompanied by a presentation and takeaway items such as information cards and pamphlets. We plan to present the outcome of this research to campus administration. Regardless of the final outcome, we want to take this opportunity to say that this research has been very informative. We learned how to conduct collaborative research projects; in our studies, we also learned about the ways in which architecture can limit or extend our access to resources and ideas; additionally, we learned how graphic design can play a significant role in various civic campaigns. We are grateful to our mentors Professor Pamela Karimi (Art History) and Michelle Bowers (Graphic Design) who guided us through this project. We are also grateful to the OUR that funded our project.