Starting in October 2013, the ESARQ School of Architecture will be running the third edition of its Postgraduate Programme in Accessibility and Design for All, directed by architect and professor Enrique Rovira-Beleta. After the success of the first and second editions, the course will boast the collaboration of the Adecco Foundation and the Salas Foundation, Válida Sin Barreras and Puntodis in the next edition. These sponsors now support this pioneering programme, which has become a benchmark for accessibility.
This is the first formal academic programme to deploy a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to accessibility. One of its main objectives is to foster the application of Design for All both universally and flexibly, as accessibility requirements vary from country to country.
The programme combines theoretical and practical components and offers interactive online classes. This means that students from all over the world can take the course, which is taught by professors from a variety of countries, as well as renowned experts in the field, Design for All professionals and representatives from organizations of people with disabilities and institutions providing universal accessibility services.
As noted by course director Rovira-Beleta, the course is an opportunity to celebrate "the abilities of the disabled" and to learn that "accessibility isn't just a necessity for people with disabilities, but rather an advantage for all citizens". This approach aims to produce more comfortable and safer cities, buildings, housing, and transport and communication systems for all citizens, with a focus on individuals with reduced mobility and communication skills and providing a standardized design that caters for everyone's needs.
Francisco Mesonero, the Managing Director of the Adecco Foundation, who teaches on the course, said, "Accessibility isn't purely a technical issue. Moving beyond architectural structures and developments is vital to break down the mental barriers and misconceptions that prevent people with disabilities from participating fully in society".
