And in the end, then, it really comes down to a choice: do we want to live in a monochromatic world of monotony or do we want to embrace a polychromatic world of diversity? ...this world deserves to exist in a diverse way, that we can find a way to live in a truly multicultural, pluralistic world where all of the wisdom of all peoples can contribute to our collective well-being.
-Wade Davis
Optics & Mobility Development Center//
Rethinking accessible universal design
There is a limit to one’s experience of the environment. Handicaps physically, cognitively, and socially lower the ceiling, and even able bodies can only climb so high, see so far, and hear so well. But technology is being used to even and push the limit.
Universal design has been adopted with the goal of making all products and the environment to be usable for all, a one size fits all solution. One example is evening the local environment for accessibility. But what about universal access into the greater environment? A peak in the Bridger Mountains?
Expenses, time, and effort to reach locations rarely used is unfeasible. Plus, the environment would change in such a way, that the experience wouldn’t be natural. An adventure into the wild would be walking up a ramp. One way of addressing this issue is to switch mindsets from a ‘one size fits all’ to the user’s individual needs.
Montana State University accrues an annual average of $90-100 million in research funding, has successful and established facilities, and an extremely diverse local environment - with a reputation of getting out and experiencing it.
The Optics and Mobility Development Center would allow a new branch of study, utilize existing infrastructure, stimulate local industries, and to allow even more of the population to go out and access the environment. The engineering center, which designs, develops, and tests assistive devices and advancements for the immediate surroundings, as well as our extended environment.
