TOPICS IN INCLUSIVE DESIGN FOR THE GRADUATE HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING CURRICULUM

The confluence of demographic trends in aging and disability prevalence, increased expectations among workers and consumers with and without impairments, and greater reliance on complex yet pervasive technologies (e.g., automation, internet of things) has resulted in an increased emphasis on designing for human-system performance and accommodation across the full spectrum of human abilities. Inclusive design or universal design (UD) is one of the few user-centered design paradigms that advocate consideration for the full spectrum of human abilities, including individuals with and without disabilities. A graduate-level course was developed and implemented to introduce ergonomics and human factors students to the UD paradigm and to UD goals and principles using select academic and non-academic readings, and assignments related to multivariate statistics, field observations, and design of experiments. The course placed an emphasis on the fundamentals and research base in ergonomics in relation to UD research and practice, viz., topics related to variability in human functioning and performance associated with anthropometry, biomechanics, perception and cognition. Alongside the motivations for the course, this paper provides an overview of the course objectives, topics covered, and some early lessons learned.