ASUW Office of Inclusive Design (OID) 

In addition to the D Center, there is another office in development within ASUW as a result of the advocacy work done by the Student Disability Commission (SDC).

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For the past few years, the SDC team noticed that there has been an absence of services at the University of Washington when it comes to making student-funded events accessible. The UW, like many universities, runs on an accommodations model, meaning that the burden falls on the individual to request modifications to an event or course, instead of designing it accessibly from the start. Disabled students must request ASL interpretation, CART captioning or other accessibility requests at least 10 days ahead of time. When it comes to student-led events, 10 days ahead of time is often an unrealistic expectation, and the burden of accessibility falls on the disabled student.

 

There are very little funds available to student groups to pay for accessibility measures (including accessible venues, ASL, CART, etc.), and there is no guidance available to show students how to create scent-free, mobility-aid friendly, sensory-sensitive spaces. Additionally, there has been no formal accommodations process within ASUW (the University of Washington Student Government), and minimal support or resources in the workplace to ensure access to ASUW. The SDC recognized that this was a crucial issue, and set out to tackle it. 

 

In 2018, the SDC started a working group to create a proposal for a new office within the ASUW that would be called the Office of Inclusive Design (OID). The OID would provide funding and guidance to student clubs and ASUW entities who are seeking to make their events and offices more accessible to all. This is not limited to disabled students: OID would also seek to create greater access for commuter students, working students, student parents, religious minorities, etc. 

 

In February 2019, a Board of Directors Bill was passed, calling for a Task Force to be developed to further explore the possibility of OID, which began meeting in November 2019. As of April 2020, the OID proposal has been completed and is awaiting a decision from the ASUW Board of Directors. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the vote will be postponed until the following academic year.