{"id":6400,"date":"2021-05-27T10:27:52","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T15:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=6400"},"modified":"2021-05-27T10:27:52","modified_gmt":"2021-05-27T15:27:52","slug":"award-winning-uw-milwaukee-architecture-student-working-to-make-design-more-inclusive","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/award-winning-uw-milwaukee-architecture-student-working-to-make-design-more-inclusive\/","title":{"rendered":"Award-winning UW-Milwaukee architecture student working to make design more inclusive"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
Roe Jing Draus, who graduated from UWM in May with a degree in architectural studies, will return to the university to pursue a master\u2019s degree. (Photo courtesy of Roe Jing Draus)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Imagine being 6 years old, blind, on the autism spectrum and nonverbal. That\u2019s Alex, a child who needs a well-designed environment to learn and thrive.<\/p>\n

In response to that challenge, UWM architecture student Roe Jing Draus designed a space for Alex, who is imaginary but reflects the challenges that many children and adults face in buildings that aren\u2019t designed with their needs in mind. Draus\u2019 design, called Spatial Portrait, incorporated a variety of surfaces for the child to touch, an integrated button system to help him indicate positive and negative moods, and adaptable rooms with pocket doors to provide hidden areas for him to retreat and relax in times of distress.<\/p>\n

Metropolis Magazine, which featured his design in its April issue, named Draus one of architecture\u2019s\u00a0Future100<\/a>, recognizing him as one of the top 100 graduating architecture students in the country. Draus, who graduated in May with a bachelor\u2019s degree in architectural studies, plans to continue on for a master\u2019s degree. He was accepted in master\u2019s programs at five universities, but chose UWM.<\/p>\n

Design that\u2019s more inclusive<\/h3>\n

Receiving the recognition from Metropolis was an honor, Draus said, and he looks forward to continuing his work. \u201cI\u2019m really excited to design buildings that are more inclusive for people with sensory issues or other disabilities,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to improve buildings so they are more person-centered.\u201d<\/p>\n

The magazine highlighted how and why architects are beginning to respond to the ways people live, learn and work with designs that accommodate differences.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 1 in 54 children has autism spectrum disorder,\u201d the magazine reported. \u201cAn even broader segment of the population \u2014 about 14% \u2014 identify as neurodivergent, a term that also includes dyspraxia, dyslexia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, among others, meaning a considerable part of the population functions, learns, and processes information differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Draus, a native of Madison, developed his interest in architecture early, influenced by his parents. His dad worked on construction projects and his mother is a self-taught artist, he said. \u201cI took architecture classes in high school and that give me the opportunity to work with 3D modeling and graphics software.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came time to choose a college, UWM was his first choice because he wanted to study architecture and stay in Wisconsin. UWM has the only accredited program in the state.<\/p>\n

Studying widely<\/h3>\n

His studies and research at UWM, including looking at buildings in Milwaukee, have fueled his interest in inclusive design and neurodiversity, he said.<\/p>\n

Draus is also earning a degree from the Honors College. \u201cI really enjoyed taking courses outside my major, and it also allowed me to do a deep dive into other topics.\u201d For example, he said, psychology courses helped him better understand neurodiversity, and a nursing class looked at how health care systems approach cultural diversity. \u201cI was able to bring those insights back into my architecture classes.\u201d<\/p>\n

He credits Trudy Watt, assistant professor of architecture, with inspiring his interest in the area of inclusive design. \u201cShe really sparked my interest in this whole design approach. She was always giving me research to do that helped me understand it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mindful of different perspectives<\/h3>\n

A key part of working on inclusive designs,\u201d Draus said, is working with an interdisciplinary team, and remembering to be mindful of the different perspectives of everyone involved before starting a project.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere must be an inclusive, interdisciplinary and community approach within every level of design,\u201d Draus said.<\/p>\n

Watt, who nominated Draus for the award, commented on his project for the magazine article:<\/p>\n

\u201cDraus approaches his design for Spatial Portrait with clarity and creativity. His desire to address broader societal challenges with solutions that meet the needs of vulnerable populations is evident in his person-centered approach.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Imagine being 6 years old, blind, on the autism spectrum and nonverbal. That\u2019s Alex, a child who needs a well-designed environment to learn and thrive. In response to that challenge, UWM architecture student Roe Jing Draus designed a space for Alex, who is imaginary but reflects the challenges that many children and adults face in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":6403,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[107],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-6400","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-milwaukee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/6400","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6400"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6400"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=6400"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=6400"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}