Inquiry

Soft or rigid, mild or sharp, quiet or loud? What are the textures, scents, and sounds of communities that champion accessibility for all? How can we build, bolster, and sustain inclusive environments across all spaces—in person and online, in public and in private, indoors and out? In a world that prioritizes the able-bodied, high-sensory, and fast-paced, what tools and practices are needed to support diverse tactile, olfactory, and auditory experiences? Contributions featured below are concerned with reshaping conceptions of accessibility in socially conscious, embodied, and collaborative ways. While centring perspectives of disability, neurodivergence, and chronic illness, they ask: how can organizers, translators, designers, filmmakers, performers, and architects better account and anticipate contrasting access needs? Beyond our senses, how can accessibility include emotional, mental, and spiritual experiences, too?