WEBVTT

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[ Music ]

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<v Narrator> Human ability
varies greatly with respect to

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sight, hearing, learning, communication,
attention, and mobility.

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The best engineers design products
that are usable by a broad audience.

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Considering the needs of individuals
with disabilities in design decisions

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can lead to better products.

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<v Nils Hakansson> People with
disabilities are problem solvers

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and engineering is about
solving problems

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and improving quality of life

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and designing environments and
structures and devices to help people.

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And we’re experts at that

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because we do it
every day in our lives.

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<v Narrator> Engaging people with
disabilities in engineering fields

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can help to meet the demand
for innovative engineers.

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To make this possible, engineering
courses need to be welcoming

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and accessible to
students with disabilities

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and reasonable accommodations
need to be provided.

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<v Grace> In school I use an
interpreter, a sign language interpreter,

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and also have a note taker
for each of my classes

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whenever I request one.

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<v Nils> I was even able to
attend a machine shop class,

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working with a lathe and an end mill,
non-computer controlled, hand controlled,

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largely because the faculty
who taught that class

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were open-minded and really
allowed me to dictate my limits.

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<v Narrator> Engineering educators
can make their courses

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more welcoming and accessible
to students with disabilities

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by applying universal 
design strategies.

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<v Narrator> Engineering faculty can also
teach accessibility and universal design

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in their courses.

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<v Cynthia> By including
accessibility and universal design

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in engineering curriculum,
you're making a statement

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to all the students
that you're teaching

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that the perspectives and the needs
of people with disabilities

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is something that they
need to think about,

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whether they’re engineering
specifically for that group

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or for any other group.

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<v Kat Steele> So just as we teach

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safety and material
properties and dynamics

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within our engineering curriculum,

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incorporating universal design
can ensure that our future engineers

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consider those small design tweaks
and consider the breadth of the population

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in their design
and future innovation.