Ontario College of Art & Design

Course Calendar

Search Courses

Print-friendly Page

INCLUSIVE DESIGN

Description

Inclusive Design is design that is inclusive of the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference. The focus of the Master of Design (MDes) in Inclusive Design will be on building expertise in inclusive digital media and information, communication technologies (ICT) and practices. This innovative program will produce graduates with the capacity to form, lead and sustain a much-needed community of expertise on digital inclusion, which will span multiple sectors.

The MDes in Inclusive Design is a low-residency, two-year program with an executive style delivery format to accommodate the needs of working professionals and international students.

Objectives

The Master of Design in Inclusive Design has the following objectives:

  • To graduate professionals with the necessary knowledge, skills, creativity, resourcefulness and intellectual agility to lead and support the critically important transition to inclusive information and communication systems and practices globally.
  • To equip graduates to excel in a diverse and evolving new professional field in the Inclusive Design of ICT with a growing labour market in work domains, including health, education, government and other public and private sectors.
  • To increase the human capacity to meet legal, policy and societal commitments to accessibility, diversity and inclusion at a local, national and global level.
  • To produce graduates who can help to address the growing global demand for inclusively-designed digital technologies, products and services, and the challenges faced by individuals who currently face barriers to participation in society, including barriers to meaningful economic contribution and well-being.
  • To equip graduates with a systematic understanding of knowledge regarding inclusive design of ICT systems and processes, including relevant knowledge in a wide variety of related fields and a critical awareness of current problems and new insights.
  • To develop graduates with the conceptual understanding and methodological competence in inclusive design needed to create, interpret, critically evaluate and advance knowledge in the field.
  • To expand notions of design, development and research in disciplines involved in producing ICT systems and practices to be inclusive of the full range of human diversity.
  • To expand the research community and the community of practice devoted to informing and designing our IT systems for diversity and accessibility, and to fuel an economic cluster and a centre of excellence in inclusive design of ICT systems and practices. 

Required Courses

Additional Program Requirements

Culminating Festival and Graduate Symposium
The Culminating Festival and Graduate Symposium is a three-day event which takes place in the summer of year three in Toronto. Students must attend in person to present their Major Project. The Festival will also include an Inclusive Design Career Fair and an Inclusive Design Forum and Unconference.

 

 

Last Modified:1/24/2012 12:57:29 PM