Disability Resource Center seeks photos to highlight accessibility on campus

As part of Disability Awareness Month in March, Purdue’s Disability Resource Center (DRC) aims to start an interactive conversation about accessibility.

The DRC has begun accepting submissions for its PhotoVoice Project, a social media photography campaign to promote disability awareness. Purdue community members are encouraged to take pictures of campus environments to highlight accessible and inaccessible spaces and share them using the hashtag #BoilerVoice.

According to senior access consultant Eli Van Sickel, who is helping to spearhead the campaign, the intention is for community members to engage in conversations about disability and promote a more accessible campus.

“We’re so often used to just going about our business and not paying attention so that we don’t notice the obstacles in the environment that people with disabilities have to navigate and what might slow them down or completely block their access,” Van Sickel said. “The PhotoVoice Project is also an opportunity for those who experience disability and know these obstacles firsthand to share their experiences with the campus community so people can be more cognizant of what those barriers look like.”

As there are many different kinds of disabilities, there are also diverse reasons why a space may be accessible or inaccessible. People with mobility issues might find non-electronic doors inaccessible, while people with learning or sensory disabilities might have difficulty with certain print fonts or spaces that are particularly noisy, crowded, or distracting. Examples of more accessible environments might include classrooms with wheelchair-accessible desks; videos with closed captions; course materials in large, legible print; and quieter spaces.

We also want to highlight when people are doing a good job and when things are accessible,” Van Sickel says. “In that way, we’re kind of celebrating inclusion as well as recognizing the problem of exclusion.”

Individuals can share their photos via the social media hashtag #BoilerVoice or via email. The submission deadline is midnight Friday, March 17. Select photos will be displayed March 20-31 in the Executive-In-Residence Lounge in Winifred Parker Hall, as well as on the Disability Resource Center website.

There will be an opening reception in the EIR Lounge on from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 22. All are welcome to come observe the display and learn more about the Disability Resource Center, as well as accessibility-minded student organizations.

Follow the DRC on Facebook and Instagram, or contact the DRC for more information about its events.

Media Contact: Eli Van Sickel, eavansic@purdue.edu 

Last updated: March 1, 2023