Why is it important to integrate disability, accessibility, and universal design content into engineering courses?

Integrating disability, accessibility, and universal design content into engineering courses is important as it:

• better prepares the next generation of engineers to take into consideration the needs of a diverse population of users as they design products. This then ensures that new technologies and other products are more likely to be accessible to individuals with disabilities and other users.
• attracts engineers to work in the fields of assistive technology and accessibility.
• serves to attract students with disabilities into engineering fields.

For more information, consult The Center for Universal Design in Education and Building Capacity to Increase the Participation of People with Disabilities in Engineering, proceedings of an AccessEngineering Capacity Building Institute. For additional resources on this topic you may wish to consult Universal Design in the Curriculum and/or view the video Including Universal Design in the Engineering Curriculum.