TED Talks for SEL: Elise Roy and Universal Design
This week I’m taking you back down my TED Talk rabbit hole with another viewing guide. Read on to learn about Elise Roy’s TED Talk about Universal Design.
Next time you’re walking along the sidewalk and approach a street, look down. You’ll probably find what’s called a “curb cut” or a transition from sidewalk to street cut out of the curb. Sometimes you’ll find a panel at the end of the sidewalk with bumps or ridges indicating the path is ending. Those inventions were designed for people with disabilities, but think of the ways they’ve become useful to all people. Whenever you’re pushing a stroller or pulling luggage behind you, those curb cuts come in very handy.
Our TED Talk series continues this week with a talk by Elise Roy, a lawyer, artist, and human rights advocate. But in this talk, Elise sets herself apart as a design thinker - someone who approaches the world with a mindset of “how can I make this experience better for ALL people?” Elise touches on the concept of Universal Design in her talk, which, put simply, is designing an environment (physical spaces, activities, atmosphere) that can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by everyone. Universal Design takes into account people’s age, their size, and their ability. You can learn more about Universal Design through the National Disability Authority’s Centre for Excellence in Universal Design.
At The Nora Project, Universal Design is something we think about often because it factors into what we call an Ability Inclusive Mindset (AIM). One of the core beliefs of AIM is that accessible spaces are better spaces. Often when people think about accessibility, they think about adjusting the physical space - adding ramps, moving furniture, adjusting the height of different items, etc. But accessibility goes well beyond that to include designing learning activities in which all students can meaningfully participate, adapting existing materials to ensure they can be used in a variety of ways, and creating an atmosphere that is conducive to learning according to the diverse needs of all learners. Elise’s talk celebrates Universal Design by sharing that when we make things accessible for people with disabilities, we’re actually improving that experience for everyone. That’s what AIM is all about.
So, gather up your family and friends and enjoy Elise’s talk. We’ve put together the viewing guide below to help you process and reflect on Elise’s message more deeply so that you can begin to approach the world with an Ability Inclusive Mindset, too.
Viewing Guide
Elise Roy: When We Design for Disability, We All Benefit
Pause at 1:20: Elise shares that she believes that individuals with disabilities have a unique perspective that suits them to design a better world for people with and without disabilities. Can you think of an example of something that exists today that is designed for people of all abilities?
Pause at 6:25: Elise mentions that changing our mindset might help us to develop more universally helpful solutions. Discuss how empathy might be helpful in this design process. Remember, empathy is feeling with someone, trying to understand their experience and reactions, and lending a hand when they need it.
Pause at 10:42: In what ways have you learned from failure? When have you had to adapt and come up with a better solution to something?
After watching: Think about what Elise said about working with and learning from people with disabilities. How could this help you to be an ally to disabled people?