Anti-ableist design impulse

On the Impulse Day for Anti-Ableism at HfG Offenbach, input lectures and workshops on the topic of barrier removal and creating access are on the agenda. This includes physical accessibility, accessible communication, and digital accessibility. Anti-ableism is understood here as a task and challenge to avoid any form of injustice and discrimination.

The Barrier-Free Friday (“Barriere-Freiag”) aims not only to provide the opportunity for discussion but also for action. In the morning, speakers will give input lectures on the three topic areas, followed by workshops in the afternoon to better integrate inclusive aspects into the university in the future. Ideas generated in the workshops can be continued as independent projects and supported by participating professors. These projects could address specific action areas in the fields of architecture, communication, education, or even in free artistic exploration.

Poster: Felix Lennig (Description below)

The program will be introduced by Prof. Dr. Tom Bieling, who is engaged in inclusive design at the Design Department, among other things. The duo MELT will deliver a hybrid lecture in German and English on how to act anti-ableist and shed light on anti-ableist events in German history. A conversational lecture between Fabian Korner, a blind cultural scientist and inclusion activist, and Anton Rahlwes, a designer and founder of the magazine “the thing,” is also planned. The “Sozialhelden” will provide an introduction to digital accessibility. The lunch break will be musically accompanied by the Offenbach band “Gruppe Blumenstrauß.”

In line with the motto “Nothing About Us Without Us,” those interested in participating are invited to share their perspectives.

The project is made possible by the QuiS_Flex funding program of the Hessian Ministry of Science and Arts. The goal is to improve the quality of teaching as well as to ensure fair opportunities and a discrimination-free study environment. The initiative is shaped by Prof. Janina Schmidt, Prof. Adrian Nießler, and Prof. Johanna Siebein, with support from the Quality Assurance Department.

Image description: Poster announcing the impulse day on accessibility at the Offenbach University of Design. The title Barriere/Frei_Tag, a pun on barrier-free and Friday, is interrupted by the typographic characters slash and underscore. In the background there is a graphic illustration in rainbow colors in the form of a staircase that is impossible in perspective; it metaphorically represents the aspect of accessibility.