Remarcation: Redefining, Remaking, and Reclaiming Disability in Public Space

Abstract

Despite legislation to ensure that disabled people have access to public space, like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many disabled people are still unable to access public spaces and services. Though this is in part due to a culture of minimum compliance in architecture, it also stems from the false belief that when a building is labeled as “accessible,” it is accessible to everyone. However, because many accommodations that help some disabled people harm others, there is no such thing as universal access as people would like to believe. By examining the intersection of the objective, static nature of physical architecture with the personal, ephemeral experience of the user, this thesis attempts to create a more realistic understanding of what accessibility can and should look like in public space. Through the exploration of common spaces at Harvard University with individuals of diverse physical, mental, and sensorial disabilities, this thesis has produced a set of guidelines and assessment tools to map the plethora of factors that influence the accessibility of a space. This framework aims to help end modern segregation of the disabled community from the broader public by giving educators, designers, developers, lawmakers, and others who have jurisdiction over shared spaces the tools they need to prioritize accessibility and ensure that everyone has access to a beautiful world.