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CHALLENGE

SCENARIO

One in five Canadians is expected to have a disability by the year 2036, and this is a concern because many buildings and public spaces are not accessible for a large number of groups (Rick Hansen Foundation, 2016). For this reason, we need to construct accessible spaces in communities to enable everyone to participate fully in society without barriers (Government of Canada, 2020). This lesson that bridges grades 7 to 8, centralizes the theme of Build a Better World by incorporating real-world problems that exist within society, which is accessibility. Hence, the inclusive design will act as a solution when constructing accessible spaces. Students will design accessible spaces specifically for wheelchair users and will challenge students to apply STEM knowledge. It is not possible for this challenge to acknowledge all needs, however, this will allow recognizing other impairments during the design process. The video below will be provided to students as a way to introduce how accessibility is a social issue (Google Local Guides, 2017).

Today you are all architects, and within your architecture firm, you will construct one potential accessible space for wheelchair users by utilizing the online programming environment of SketchUp! Your team will focus on the essential question, which is how are accessible and inclusive spaces designed in communities for wheelchair users. This project will allow you to apply the concepts that you have learned in the last few weeks while working on this challenge.

STATEMENT OF CHALLENGE

These are a few examples of spaces that students can focus on for this challenge, however, it is essential that they focus on creating small-scale spaces because they are new to this program and also for time constraint purposes. ​

  1. Café

  2. Tiny Home 

  3. Classroom 

  4. Small Playground 

POTENTIAL
SOLUTIONS

For this lesson, students will be introduced to the online programming environment of SketchUp that will also be utilized to build their accessible space. SketchUp enables 3-D models to be created with near realistic renderings and includes a user-based library where users are able to download designs created by others (EDUCBA, 2020). It is important to mention how SketchUp does not allow for a multiplayer mode, hence this will require groups of students to delegate responsibilities throughout the SketchUp challenge.

SOFTWARE
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