NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION OF ARMENIA

On the initiative of the UN Population Fund and the disability expert, universal design and accessibility consultant, adviser to the RA Prime Minister Mr. Suren Maghakyan in cooperation with the architect, universal design and disability art consultant Narek Minassian, a one-week seminar entitled “Universal Design, Accessibility, Reasonable Accommodations” was held at National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia.

The aim of the Seminar was to introduce students to the concept and philosophy of universal design, the essence of human-centered design, as well as its application to the international best experience was discussed, exploring the challenges in the lives of different target groups, especially people with disabilities.

The course also had another goal: to understand how students relate to the topic at University. It is noteworthy that the contagious enthusiasm of the students emphasized their true commitment to this mission by expressing a collective desire to integrate the subject to their educational programme. Each day different groups of students participated, so about 120 students took part.

Presenting his experience and decades of in-depth research, Narek Minassian mentioned: “Generally, one of the biggest problems is that only in the final stages of design and implementation they notice that they should pay more attention to the accessibility. Usually, universal design dictates that from the first moment of the project, all these issues should be taken into account.

National University of Architecture and Construction of Armenia continuously keeps in focus the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the UN, as these are the goals that address the major development challenges that people face both in Armenia and around the world.