Abstract
Given the definitions of such fields, Human Factors, Ergonomics (HF/E), and UX professionals and academics should aim to embed inclusion in their everyday lives. The objective of this panel is to offer tangible examples of how to use our Human Factors and Ergonomics background to be effective allies/advocates towards inclusion. The panelists aim to provide their views and experiences on how we, as HF/E and UX professionals, can translate what we learn and profess to increase accessibility for those around us. The specific theme of this discussion panel is to bring together practitioners, university leads, and consultants to focus a discussion on learning about tools and initiatives that we all, as individuals, can use to be more inclusive in our practice, at work, as well as in our everyday lives. This is an interactive session between the attendees and panelists, guided by the moderator, Mr. Anant Bhushan, co-chair of the HFES’s DCI AG.
Keywords
Introduction
Did you know that at least one out of four people in the USA alone has some type of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? What does this mean for Human Factors / Ergonomics (HF/E) and User Experience (UX) Professionals? It means that if you are not considering people with disabilities when designing objects/tools/environments for the US population, you may exclude at least 25% of your potential audience by default.
Inclusive design is becoming the standard, not the exception. This is because everyone benefits from an accessible environment, even if they don’t have a disability. Though, to achieve fully accessible environments, a shift in thinking must occur. By changing our thinking, we move from tolerance (dealing with it) to acceptance (understanding, approving, and embracing).
In some instances, the lack of awareness of tools that can help us be more accessible as individuals is the primary constraint for many to be more inclusive, especially during everyday tasks.HF/E is recognized as the field that aims to fit the tasks, tools, systems, objects, etc., to the users instead of the other way around. Thus, the profession has an influential role when addressing significant, systemic societal challenges, including issues related to inclusion (Roscoe et al., 2019; Hughes et al., 2022; Wooldridge et al., 2022).
This session aims to close that gap by presenting examples of approaches to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) issues conducted by HF/E scientists and practitioners by creating a forum to as a group identify areas of opportunity within our field/institution to increase accessibility by facilitating a discussion on disability and ability in the context of ability-based design, and by identifying opportunities within the discipline to enable HF/E work to support and impact inclusive and accessibility initiatives. This session directly addresses HFES's strategic goals and is part of a series of events and activities spearheaded by the Council of Affinity Group (COAG) during HFES’ 2023 Annual Meeting, meant to work in concert to highlight issues and challenges faced by the various groups in the organization.
Moderator
Anant Bhushan
Mr. Bhushan is the Co-Chair for HFES’ Disability and Chronic Illness (DCI) Affinity Group. He has worked in the field of human factors at Boeing for over twenty-five years. His current focus within the company revolves around the digital twin concept, digital human modeling, and combining motion capture with other sensor data to achieve higher fidelity results.
Panelists
Rose Figueroa, Ph.D., CHFP
Dr. Rose Figueroa is a Board-Certified Human Factors Professional. She holds a B.S.E. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico–Mayagüez and an M.S.E. and Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor.
Dr. Figueroa is a Principal Consultant at Rimkus, where she provides cognitive, perceptual, and physical human factors/ergonomics consulting to assist clients in the investigation and prevention of accidents and injuries, as well as in the evaluation of accidents in a wide range of settings/topics, such as accessibility, product design, risk communication & hazards, operator training, visibility and conspicuity, perceptual capabilities and limitations, behavior/decision making, anthropometrics, and strength capabilities.
Dr. Figueroa is the Founder & CEO at belongIN, where she serves as a DEI consultant, speaker, and workshop facilitator for national and international organizations. Dr. Figueroa also serves as the Founding Chair for HFES’ Disability and Chronic Illness (DCI) Affinity Group and as an elected Director for the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE).
Dr. Figueroa will share some examples of how HFE practitioners can use their subject matter expertise to drive DEI improvements in an impactful and effective manner, such as by utilizing HF/E knowledge and education to promote accessibility - and data-driven approaches - within your organization and in everyday activities.
Brissa Quiroz, Ph.D
Dr. Brissa Quiroz serves as University Relations Lead for Microsoft. Her efforts focus on supporting Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges. Prior to Microsoft, Dr. Quiroz was a full-time Engineering Lecturer and served as the Director of the Valley Industry Partnership for Cooperative Education at Fresno State University. Dr. Quiroz has a BS degree in Industrial Engineering, an MS degree in Industrial Technology, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Engineering.
Dr. Quiroz’s work has focused on leveraging her technical background and network to lift students from underrepresented minority (URM) groups by focusing on recruitment and retention in higher education. Dr. Quiroz has served as Co-PI of various multimillion-dollar grants from NSF and the US Department of Education, such as The AGEP California State University Underrepresented Minority STEM Faculty Alliance Model: A Culturally-Informed Strengths-Based Approach to Advance Early-Career Faculty Success). Dr. Quiroz currently serves on the steering committee for EngineerGirl of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). She was the President of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) San Joaquin Valley Section and was on the Board of Directors for the ASEE Corporate Industry Partnership Division.
Dr. Quiroz brings two unique perspectives to the fore in this panel discussion – one that of industry-university relations lead from a Fortune 500 company that focuses her efforts on diversity and inclusion and two as a STEM doctorate recipient from a URM background. As an accomplished educator, industry mentor, and champion for URM student success, Dr. Quiroz will share tools and best practices for the audience to be able to leverage their network and background to break the invisible barriers between academia and industry.
Bryan D. Berrett, Ed.D
Dr. Bryan Berrett is the Interim Director for the Office of Innovation and Digital Excellence for Academic Success (IDEAS) at Fresno State University. Dr. Berrett earned his doctorate in Educational Technology from Pepperdine and is a Professor of Deaf Studies. Dr. Berrett is a Harvard Management Development Program graduate, a Strengths Finder coach, and a PROCI-certified change management practitioner.
Dr. Berrett has been a Principal Investigator for several grants from the US Department of Education and the National Science Foundation totaling over $3.4 M. Dr. Berrett leads several university-wide change initiatives, including Quality Learning and Teaching, Universal Design for Learning, Affordable Learning $olutions, LMS adoption, DISCOVERe mobile device program, Ally for accessibility, and virtual instruction. These initiatives align with technology, inclusion, accessibility, and pedagogy to empower faculty and students for success.
During this panel, Dr. Berrett will share how to align initiatives with the values of executive sponsors, ways to develop effective plans to communicate the “why” to stakeholders, and best practices while leading impactful initiatives toward inclusion while in academia.
Brandon J. Pitts, Ph.D
Dr. Pitts is an Assistant Professor in the School of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. He earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering at Louisiana State University (LSU) and an M.S.E and Ph.D. in Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Pitts is also a registered Engineer Intern (E.I.T).
At Purdue, Dr. Pitts is the Director of the Next-generation Human-systems and Cognitive Engineering (NHanCE) Lab and a Faculty Associate with the Center on Aging and the Life Course (CALC). His research aims to evaluate and (re)design user interfaces in various transportation, work, and leisure environments to become more accessible for aging populations and people with disabilities. His work has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Federal Aviation Administration. In July 2022, Dr. Pitts’ co-led team, EASI RIDER, was named the 1st place winner ($1M) of the U.S. DOT Inclusive Design Challenge (IDC) for their life-size autonomous vehicle (AV) solution that seeks to enable independent and seamless travel for individuals with disabilities. EASI RIDER stands for Efficient, Accessible, and Safe Interaction in a Real Integrated Design Environment for Riders with Disabilities. The team’s winning prototype has been nominated for a 2023 TechPoint Mira Award.
During this panel, Dr. Pitts will bring a unique perspective on how to ensure that emerging technologies that promise inclusion and accessibility, such as AVs, are designed to accommodate a wide range of users and ability levels. He will share important design considerations, research methods, best practices, and lessons learned from his work, mainly focused on individuals with sensory and mobility impairments. The hope is that this conversation will result in intentional actions that help populations with travel-limiting disabilities realize that they are being considered in the design of future technologies.
Footnotes
Authors Note
The opinions and views contained herein are those of the authors. We thank the conference organizing committee and the Society for providing space and support for discussions to increase inclusion within the organization, past and future.