ARIDO recruiting volunteers for the ARIDO Accessibility Subcommittee

Accessibility is the quality of being easily used, accessed, and understood by people with disabilities.

Designers and organizations face a shortage of comprehensive resources on accessibility which limits their capacity to intentionally address diverse needs. An Accessibility Subcommittee within ARIDO’s current Practice Advisory Committee has been established with a goal of filling this gap by creating a series of practice tools to support ARIDO members and design firms to better understand and comply with accessibility requirements creating more accessible work environments.

ARIDO’s Accessibility subcommittee is looking for people from diverse backgrounds who understand the complexity and importance of accessibility and who have a desire to be involved in creating a more accessible future.

Committee Priority Areas

The initial priority work of the Committee will be a review of the results of an accessibility audit identifying AODA requirements that apply to:

• ARIDO as an organization and its legal accessibility duties and obligations to:
  • Employees (ARIDO staff)
  • ARIDO members
• The interior design profession and legal accessibility duties and obligations related to:
  • Employees of interior design firms
  • The practice of interior design by ARIDO members.

This initial work will inform and guide all future work by the Committee.

Areas of Focus in the coming years at additional phases of the Committee work will include:

• Aid disabled employees in seeking accommodations.
• Work will include the broader spectrum of disabilities such as physical disabilities, invisible disabilities, cognitive disorders, neurological disorders, and neurodevelopmental conditions.
• Assist neurodivergent individuals with NCIDQ navigation
• Support disabled students in studies and job applications
• Promote research and development in the design community
• Establish employer best practices through advocacy and policy development

Committee Goals:

• Collaborate with accessibility consultants
• Identify individuals within ARIDO and related fields who share a commitment to accessibility
• Conduct research to identify current oversights in accessibility and generate solutions
• Develop an accessibility database resource for use by ARIDO members and member firms
• Develop an accessibility audit framework for use by ARIDO members and member firms
• Work with other ARIDO committees to integrate accessibility into broader initiatives
• Advance the creation of a more accessible environment

Levels of volunteer participation:

• Committee Level: volunteers participate in ongoing meetings, contribute to committee work and content development.
• Practitioner Round-Table Discussions: participants will attend Round-Table discussions, review content and provide feedback.

ARIDO is interested in volunteers who are ARIDO Members who are currently:

• in the field of interior design in both residential and commercial sectors.

Accessibility consultants who are ARIDO members, along with ARIDO Student, Intern, Registered Educator or Retired members are all encouraged to participate.

Committee Term

ARIDO Committees run for a one-year term. Upon the completion of the yearly term, volunteers will have an opportunity to indicate their continued involvement. ARIDO also releases a call out for new volunteers at the start of the annual term.

Time Commitment

• Committee Volunteers: The Committee as a collective will determine a consensus on an ongoing meeting schedule. Virtual participation in all meetings will be made available.
• Practitioner Round-Table Discussions: Participants will participate in meetings as they are determined. Round-Table Discussions will occur no more than once every quarter.

To express your interest, please complete the online form below. All ARIDO Committees operate on a one-year term with the ability to assess scope and welcome volunteers following the first year. All levels of membership are welcome to participate including Students, Interns, Registered, Retired and Educator members.

The deadline to express interest is October 31, 2024.