Stepping Into Others’ Shoes: AUC Students Run Accessibility Simulation

To honor the International Day of People with Disabilities, the Psychology of Inclusion and Exclusion in Egypt undergraduate class set up an accessibility simulation, bringing together students and faculty from across the AUC community to gain a new perspective on what life is like with a disability — stepping into the shoes of others. 

The event, hosted by the Center for Student Wellbeing and Student Accessibility Services, started with each attendee being assigned a disability. Some were assigned visual impairments and given eye masks. Some participants were designated audio impairments and wore noise cancelling headphones. Others were given various mobility restrictions, such as being paralyzed from the waist down or having limited mobility in their hands. Together, the participants had to work together to make a salad, a task that might seem simple but had many added challenges. Participants worked together to navigate cutting vegetables, reaching across a wide table and communicating through the challenges that come with audio and visual impairments.

The simulation showed participants the ways people with disabilities have to go about their daily lives as well as how they can support each other. Participants had to rethink their typical teamwork processes to play to their strengths and accommodate gaps. Those with mobility impairments could help coordinate visually with those with audio impairments and auditorily to those with visual impairments. The experience showed how important accommodation, support, grace and understanding are to people with disabilities.

“The event was a focused, high-impact simulation designed to foster empathy and build awareness among participants regarding the challenges faced by individuals living with various disabilities,” explained Alexandra Gazis, associate director of Student Accessibility Services at AUC and course instructor. “The primary goal is to provide attendees who do not have a disability with a short, experiential understanding of how simple, everyday tasks can become exclusionary, especially when various barriers are present.”

The purpose of this simulation was to help raise awareness of the ways that disabilities impact daily life and the ways that the AUC community can think through necessary accommodations by being conscious of what it's like to live with disabilities.

“The simulation was a great way to raise awareness of the realities of living day to day as a student with a disability,” shared Grainne Condron, one of the students in the class. “I see this collaboration between staff and students as making strides toward real change.”

Additionally, AUC will be lighting the plaza and Bassily Auditorium in purple on December 3 to celebrate the International Day of People with Disabilities. AUC will be the first institution to light its buildings purple for this occasion in Egypt, marking once again its commitment to accessibility and visibility.