Talking Stick - November/December 2016 - 25

at North Carolina State University in
Raleigh established seven principles
to guide designers: equitable use,
flexibility in use, simple and intuitive
use, perceptible information, tolerance
for error, low physical effort, and size
and space for approach and use.
Innovative thinking is needed
to exceed code compliance, and
several institutions are applying
highly nuanced universal design
strategies to make student rooms in
residential communities - the home
away from home for students - truly
accessible. Gallaudet University in
Washington, D.C., is the only bilingual
liberal arts institution in the world
offering education to deaf and hard
of hearing students in American
Sign Language (ASL) and English.
Gallaudet has developed DeafSpace
Design Guidelines to promote greater
access and functionality for deaf
students. The guidelines consist of
more than 100 design considerations
that enhance visually/tactilelycentered spatial awareness, improve
visual communication and reduce
eyestrain, and express deaf culture.
They have recently been implemented
with exceptional results in their new
residential environment, Living and
Learning Residence Hall 6. "The
DeafSpace Design Guidelines are
the product of ongoing design and
research efforts here at Gallaudet,"
says Hansel Bauman, campus
architect and executive director of
campus design and planning and
co-founder of the DeafSpace project.
"We use our campus as a living
laboratory where our students actively
participate in identifying and solving
design problems that result in a built
environment better attuned to deaf
sensibilities."
At Oregon State University in
Corvallis, the Department of Equity
and Inclusion provides information
and advice about building and
infrastructure design under a campus-

wide best practices approach to
address accessibility. They research
themes such as how much space
students need to navigate with a
variety of mobility devices. They also
work with university housing and
dining services during the design
phases of new construction or
renovation projects to ensure that the
campus's high accessibility standards
are met. "During this process, a
design charette [design and planning
meeting with multiple stakeholders]
is very important, allowing a variety
of campus experts to weigh in
on the design to ensure a holistic
approach to accessible design," says
Kathryn Magura, assistant director of
operations for university housing and
dining services.
San Diego State University, as
part of the California State University
system, is required to comply with
the highest of standards promoting
accessibility. California State
University's Executive Order 926,
which went into effect on January 1,
2005, "establishes the policy, specifies
campus responsibilities, and offers

supplemental guidance to ensure that
the proper and integrated actions of
each campus are effectively mobilized
to comply with the policy and law,"
according to SDSU's accessibility and
information resources website. "At
SDSU, we have found that employing
the concepts of universal design in our
construction and renovation projects
allows for not only compliance with
our applicable laws, but truly helps
create a stronger and more inclusive
residential community that benefits all
students," says Eric Hansen, director
of housing administration.
The bedroom is each student's
private enclave, whether it has single,
double, or triple occupancy. It needs
to be a place of retreat, a refuge
where students can unplug and
recharge from a hard day, focus on
an assignment, and carry out daily
personal care. Therefore, the room
requires a high degree of adaptability,
providing space to maneuver, store,
and potentially recharge a mobility
device. Combine these requirements
with the typical furniture suite (bed,
desk, chair, wardrobe, mini-fridge),

PHOTO CREDIT: MAHLUM ARCHITECTS

The steering committee for the International Living Learning Center at Oregon State University
explored how different furniture configurations impact power and technology access at full scale.

NOVEMBER + DECEMBER 2016

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Talking Stick - November/December 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - November/December 2016
