The Road to Accessibility: Pandemic Edition
Gregory Baer, Ken Prakasam, Nawshin Maleeha, Nick Melkadze.
Combining the ideas of what it means to make a space truly accessible and how the use of spaces have changed during the pandemic, we explore the overall theme of accessibility during COVID-19. In our zine cover, we highlight the importance of accessibility in the pandemic, such that spaces can cater to all members of their diverse communities, regardless of their financial status, and adapt to the pandemic. For instance, we showcase the need for adequate safety measures amid a global health crisis and the need for internet access to account for the countless jobs and events that are shifting to an online format. We then use these accessibility guidelines from our zine cover to critique the implementation of safety measures in institutions, like libraries and churches, as they try to maintain similar functions and play new roles to serve a purpose in the pandemic.
The pandemic has shaped the views of our group’s themes because it has directly affected accessibility in public spaces and how people now use institutions with designated uses. Specifically, the zine creation and pandemic have challenged us to carefully reconsider how access to institutions is no longer limited to ideas of finance, location, disability accommodations, and racial diversity but now includes virtual and safety aspects. As creating the zine cover encourages us to think about the pandemic in terms of society and the city beyond lockdowns, we have developed a more holistic and interdisciplinary approach to thinking about the pandemic. Overall, access in COVID-19 is an issue that affects everyone, so our zine cover and thought process attempt to encompass all people and relevant factors for this theme.