INQ-277 | Accessibility & Public Health in the Netherlands

Crosslisted As: PHST277

Topic Description:

What does it mean for a building, institution, or city to be Universally Designed? What would it look like to truly include and empower people with differences of ability? In 1966 Het Dorp ("The Village") welcomed its first residents, revolutionizing rehabilitation and care as the first residential community in the Netherlands for people with physical disabilities. In recent years, Het Dorp has entered a renewal phase and opened Academy Het Dorp to better foster independence through innovative use of technology. During our time in the Netherlands we will travel to Het Dorp, where we will engage with foundational disability studies scholar Irving Zola's ethnography of Het Dorp, Missing Pieces: A Chronicle of Living with a Disability, in which the author critically engages with his own disabilities. We will reflect on our own “differ-abilities” while we learn about innovative solutions for creating a more accessible and inclusive society.

Course Types Offered: Travel

Topic Approved: February 2020