Victor Calise, Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, was a key player in ensuring that the 9/11 Memorial included barrier-free design.
Transcript
Rhian – Welcome to the Case for a Better Future; a pedagogy of hope podcast. A three-episode podcast dedicated to exploring the communication and leadership lessons of three dis/ability rights activists and advocates. My name is Rhian, and I have the honor of co-hosting this podcast with the phenomenal Becky Willhite (Will-Height), Communications and Leadership Studies graduate and Gonzaga University Adjunct Faculty member. Thank you for allowing me to join you, Becky. Once again, welcome to all our listeners, and Becky, who will you be introducing us to today?
Becky – Thank you for the introduction. Today, I would like to introduce you to Victor Calise (ku-lease-ee). My hope is to highlight his collaborative leadership and how he is dedicated to creating a better future.
Rhian – I look forward to learning more about Victor.
Becky – Before I share his story, can I provide a bit of history?
Rhian – I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Becky – In the 1950’s a barrier-free design movement began a process of changing in public policies and design practices. The movement was established in response to demands from World War Two veterans and dis/ability rights activists to create opportunities in education and employment. Physical barriers in the environment were recognized as an impediment toward those goals.
Rhian – Could you give me an example?
Becky – A sidewalk curb cut is a great example of design that accommodates a wide-range of potential users. A parent pushing a stroller, a delivery driver with a dolly cart, and an individual who uses a wheelchair. Between 1968 and 1996 there were a variety of legislations passed to support access. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 implemented closed captioning on television programs. As the barrier-free design concept grew it was expanded into pedagogy.
One of my favorite books is Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom. The book highlights how barrier-free design influenced Universal Design for Learning or UDL. UDL is a framework for providing students with multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression. It is a mind-set from the outset that benefits all learners. UDL then influenced Inclusive pedagogy.
Rhian – The evolution of pedagogy is fascinating.
Becky – I agree; especially from a dis/ability advocacy perspective. As educators we are drawn to different pedagogies that reflect our values and influences. I am certainly a combination of Ignatian and Inclusive.
Rhian – I do feel our experiences and values influence our goals and motivations. How does that connect with Victor Calise (Kah-lease-ee)?
Becky – Great question. I believe everyone should select their own pedagogy but if I were to assess Victor’s I would believe he is a combination of pedagogy of the Freire’s (fray-ree's) Pedagogy of the Oppressed and Inclusive.
Rhian – How does his inclusive pedagogy present?
Becky - Victor Calise was the Commissioner of the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities while the city planned the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
The design was beholden to a large number of political interests and interest groups; including family members of those who died, public servants, and donors.
Rhian – How, if at all, did the interest groups influence the design?
Becky – To use a metaphor, Calise (ka-lease-ee) influenced the stakeholders to build a bigger table.
Rhian – Interesting; could you describe?
Becky – Calise (ka-lease-ee) believes that if you make his environment accessible, you take away his dis/ability; in his words “if you add a ramp and lower the desk and you make sure every work area has no obstacles to me, that there are door handles I can open, that the door pressure is right, then I am not disabled in that environment.” He was dedicated to ensuring the 9/11 memorial was a universal experience for everyone.
Rhian – Has he described his approach?
Becky – I was fortunate enough to interview Calise (ka-lease-ee) by email several years ago. He cultivated relationships and engaged with stakeholders to support an inclusive design. Ka-lease-ee's office worked with the architects to modify the design to ensure the reflecting pool was a universal experience for all visitors. He is an advocate for including individuals with a dis/ability in the design process to ensure the space is inclusive.
Rhian – Ka-lease-ee must have a clearly defined leadership?
Becky – Yes, he is a huge proponent of advocating for dialogue. He gathers “all the relevant stakeholders to the table, [to] listen to all perspectives, and then come a solution that works for everyone involved to ensure maximum accessibility.”
Rhian – Does (kah-lease-ee) still work for the City of New York?
Becky – No. He is currently the Director of Global Accessibility and Excellence for Walmart. They have been in the news recently because of their sensory hours which create a more inclusive shopping experience by providing a less stimulating environment. Sensory-friendly hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. every day.
Rhian – Sensory hours are certainly building a better future.
Becky – Yes, they are. I believe Walmart’s decision is reflective of internal dialogue on behalf of Victor with external communication by customers and staff appreciating the intentionally designed environment. Calise (Ka-lease-ee) believes that businesses are really starting to get the message that people with dis/abilities can be essential part of the workforce which is critical to trying to change and reverse the dismally low employment rate for individuals who experience a dis/ability.
Rhian – Which circles back to the barrier-free design?
Becky – Yes, it does. Employees with dis/abilities can help companies cater better to individuals who experience a dis/ability who have $490 billion in disposable income.
Rhian – Billion?
Becky – Yes, billion. Dis/ability and leadership; engendering visibility and support was published in 2018 and is a wealth of support for organizations to expand their knowledge and policies. I highly recommend the report.
Rhian – One of the four goals of a communication education defined by Jo Sprague is to build career skills. What career skills can educators support in their course curriculum?
Becky – That is a great question. Victor Kah-lease-ee ensured that all stakeholders contributed to the design of the 9/11 memorial, and he continues to listen to Walmart’s stakeholders. An educator has multiple stakeholders including students. I think it important to design assignments that allow students to elevate their preferences, interests, needs, and strengths often referred to as PINS. PINS directly connect to the various learning styles students bring into the classroom. If educators plan for various learning styles just as architects plan for a wide variety of users, then the curriculum becomes accessible to everyone.
Rhian – Could you give an example?
Becky – Yes, a video with closed captioning addresses auditory and visual learners. I think it is extremely important to critically analyze each classroom. Is the room accessible? How is the room set up? Are the lights too bright? Doors too heavy? I have noticed lately that students who want to record the course lectures to honor their auditory learning style but are required to sit in the front of class to capture the sound, but their inclination would be to sit in the back and observe. Educators want to avoid death by PowerPoint but what if those extra words allow for students to sit in the back of the class where they feel more comfortable?
Rhian – I love the inclusion of environmental structuring.
Becky – It is an important component of learning. Nonverbal communication research shows that students prefer U-shaped seating, but most classrooms are set up in rows. We educators need to implement the research into our practice.
Rhian – So a better future is U-shaped?
Becky – In more ways than one. We need to remove the I and focus on the you; u-shaped classrooms and you the student.
Rhian – You are on to something.
Becky – Let’s hope you are right. Communication practitioners encourage I statements or I language but there is space for the you. Especially in analyzing how you experience the world around you. We need to collect that qualitative data to ensure the future is better.
Rhian – That sounds like a case of a better future.
Becky – I certainly hope so. Thank you so much for having me on the Case of a Better Future: A Pedagogy of Hope. In my heart I am a dis/ability advocate and want to ensure a better future; to honor everyone’s preferences, interests, needs, and strengths and how those relate to crafting their better future.
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