REDEFINING INCLUSION, ACCESSIBILITY AND PERCEPTION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITY THROUGH THE LENS OF ARCHITECTURAL EDUCATION IN GHANA

Abstract

There is a clarion call by the United Nations to urgently tackle the root causes of systemic marginalization of persons with disability, by ensuring that all persons can fully participate in every day aspect of life. This call directly addresses four sustainable development goals.The architect is one of the key actors of barriers in the built environment, which is mainly due to the education they acquire over the years based on training and ethos largely influenced by ableist concepts. Many have advocated for a change in architectural education in order to have a major leap in the creation of inclusive and accessible built environments. This study critically examines the concept of accessibility in architectural education at the only public university with a school of architecture in Ghana. This is achieved through a mix method research design with a case study approach using semi structured questionnaires and interviews of both students and lecturers. The course contents and studio are also reviewed to assess the accessibility strands found within. The study reveals amongst others, a very low level of knowledge of the concepts of accessibility and inclusion in both students and lecturers; the teaching and inclusion of accessibility concepts in course content and studio are treated as add-ons. The study recommends that the architectural curriculum needs to be revised with accessibility being an integral part of the entire course of study, reinforced in an interdisciplinary nature, and actively engaging disability organizations in the teaching and design studio programs.