The past ten months have forced everyone to come to grips with issues around accessibility that the disability community has been expressing for a very long time. Be it work, school, or bookstore events, most things we encounter in our day-to-day lives have been designed with a narrow scope of who can fully access and engage with them. Universal Design seeks to remove these barriers and create things (buildings, events, curricula, etc) that are accessible to everyone.
For our next disability series event, we welcome Dr. Beverly Barkon, an expert educator in Universal Design and accessibility, to talk about design without barriers and what all of our experience with the pandemic can teach us about accessibility. Although the idea of Universal Design isn't new - similar notions have existed since at least the 1960s - broader awareness and implementation still have a long way to go. Come learn about Universal Design with us!
The event is Thursday, January 28, at 7 PM Eastern. This is a free, ticketed event: click our
Eventbrite link here to register! If you have any difficulties, please email events @ argobookshop . ca.
Please note that this event (like all our events!) will be captioned. If you have any other accessibility concerns, email us at events @ argobookshop . ca and we'll do what we can.
Dr. Beverly Barkon has been a faculty member at New Jersey City University in special education and in Project Mentor — a support program for college students with disabilities. A retired professor of special education at Carlow University, Pittsburgh, PA, Dr. Barkon has served as an educational liaison in the pediatric neuro-oncology clinic at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. In addition, she has been an expert witness in administrative law courts. She has presented at national and international conferences on the learning experiences and transition needs of survivors of pediatric cancers. Dr. Barkon also volunteers as a mentor/angel for Imerman’s Angels, a one-on-one support program for newly diagnosed cancer patients.
Dr. Barkon earned her Ph.D. in communication disorders, field of learning disabilities from Northwestern University and has a Masters in Studies in Law in the areas of education and disability law from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law.