WEBVTT

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Hi everyone!

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This is Lexi and Ella and together we will

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be talking about universal vs. inclusive design—

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what they mean, how they're different,

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and why they matter.

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Here's a quick look at what we'll be

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covering today.

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First, we'll introduce the two design philosophies,

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and explain the articles we chose.

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Then, we'll break down universal and inclusive

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design individually with examples,

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compare and contrast them,

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and wrap up with a summary of what we

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learned and why it matters.

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Design plays a huge role in how we

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interact with the world.

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Whether that's through technology,

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public spaces, learning environments,

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and even everyday objects.

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When design is done well,

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it creates access and opportunities.

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When it is done poorly,

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or without diverse users in mind,

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it creates barriers.

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Universal and inclusive design are both

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approaches that aim

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to make experiences better for more people

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but they take slightly different routes

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to get there.

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For these ideas, we read three main articles.

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The first, "Supercrips Don't Fly: Technical

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Communication to Support Ordinary Lives

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of People with Disabilities"

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was about disability and

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technical communication.

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It challenged us to think about how

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language, social contexts, and

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assumptions shape the way we

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design and communicate.

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One big takeaway from our class reading

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is that standardization, especially

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in technical communication, can

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unintentionally exclude people.

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For example, assuming everyone can read

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small print or access a website with no

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captions, means some users get left out.

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The article also points out that

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technical communication often comes from

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a normalizing gaze, meaning it defines

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what's normal and anything else becomes a

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problem to be fixed.

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But disability isn't just an individual

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issue, it's shaped by our environment,

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our systems, and our design choices.

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The second one of the articles we found

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to support our topic is called

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"A New Normal in Inclusive, Usable Online

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Learning Experiences."

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This article showcased how inclusive

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design can make online education

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more accessible, not just by adding tools

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like captions, but by rethinking how we

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deliver content in the first place.

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The third titled, "Universal Design, Inclusive

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Design, Accessible Design..." helped us

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understand the definitions and overlaps

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of each design type, especially

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in the context of education

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and technology.

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Let's start with universal design.

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Universal design is all about designing

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something that works well for everyone

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without needing extra changes

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or accommodations.

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It's about creating one solution that works

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for as many people as possible from

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the very beginning.

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The goal is to make products

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and environments inherently accessible

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so that people of all abilities can use them

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from the start.

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Think about curb cuts on sidewalks.

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They help people using wheelchairs

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but also parents with strollers

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or travelers with rolling suitcases.

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That's universal design in action.

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It benefits everyone.

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Here are some additional examples

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of universal design.

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One great example is closed captions

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on videos. They were originally

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designed for deaf or hard-of-hearing

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individuals, but now they help people

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watching in noisy environments, learning

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a new language, or trying to focus better.

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Handheld showers are another form

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of universal design.

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And then there's voice-to-text

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technology. That's universal design in action.

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It benefits everyone. It's guided by the idea

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that accessiblity shouldn't be an

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afterthought. It should be

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built in from the start.

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Now let's talk about inclusive design.

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Inclusive design, on the other hand,

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focuses on actively including

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diverse users—especially those who

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might normally be excluded.

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That means listening to disabled users,

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people with different cultural backgrounds,

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and people with varying experiences

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before you even start designing.

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Rather than designing one thing for all,

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inclusive design often involves flexibility—

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offering options or customization

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so more people can benefit.

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Inclusive design recognizes that

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people experience the world differently

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and those differences matter. It's not

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just about fixing a problem, but

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reframing the process.

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For example, these Nike shoes

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were designed with input from disabled

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individuals. The result is a shoe that's

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easier to put on and take off.

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Braille menus at restaurants are

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another great example.

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Here's some more examples of

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inclusive design.

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ASL interpreters at events, performances,

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or public briefings allow deaf individuals

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access to real-time information without

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relying on secondhand summaries or

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captions.

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Another example is pronoun fields

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in various forms.

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This inclusive design choice respects

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gender identity and helps create

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safer, more welcoming environments.

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The last example we have for inclusive

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design is flexible assignment formats like

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letting students submit a video instead

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of writing a paper or offering both group

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and solo options.

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Inclusive design recognizes that people

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experience the world differently and those

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differences matter. It's not just about

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fixing a problem, but reframing

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the process of design entirely.

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So how do these two design approaches

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compare?

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Well, universal design aims to create one

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solution that works for as many

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people as possible right from the start.

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It's about building in accessibility so it

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benefits everyone automatically.

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Inclusive design, on the other hand,

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is more about the design process itself,

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actively involving diverse users and creating

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options that meet different needs.

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It's less about one-size-fits-all and

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more about making sure

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everyone has a seat at the table while

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the design is being made.

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So, while universal design says,

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"Let's design something that everyone

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can use," inclusive design says,

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"Let's design with everyone in mind,

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especially those often left out."

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And sometimes the results of

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these two approaches can overlap.

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For example, the Nike shoes could be seen

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as both inclusive and universal—they were

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created through inclusive design but now

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benefit a wide range of people.

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And both approaches are valuable—

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together they move us closer to

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accessible design which is the

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ultimate goal.

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To sum it all up, universal and inclusive

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design are both powerful tools

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that promote equity and accessibility

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in our world. While they take different

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approaches, they're both crucial in creating

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environments and experiences where

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everyone can thrive.

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Inclusive design goes a step further. It

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challenges technical communicators,

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designers, and educators to rethink

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who they design for and how they design.

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It asks us to plan and build for a world

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that includes everyone and not just the

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average or the majority.

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Here is a list of our sources.

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It includes our three articles—one from

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class and two additional ones.

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Well, that's all we have for today.

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Thanks for watching!

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We hope this helps you think about how design

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can be more thoughtful,

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fair, and human-centered.

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Bye!