Blog Post 3 – Inclusivity

Automatic doors and automatic door openers are pivotal – pun intended – in the assurance of inclusivity and accessibility for any building. With a long history of revisions and improvements, the notion of a door that opens without having to manually pull or push was first envisioned by an ancient Greek mathematician, Heron of Alexandria, using a system that incorporated fire and hydraulics (The history of automatic doors, 2021), as demonstrated in the video below. It was not, however, until much later, try centuries later, that humans felt inspired to create a new and improved automatic door design that was more practical and accessible. This time it was two twentieth century Americans, Horace H. Raymond and Sheldon S. Roby, who designed an ingenious system that allowed a door to open upon triggering an optical sensor (The history of automatic doors, 2021).

Fast forward to today, we are now blessed with an array of ways to automatically open doors, from push buttons to motion detectors, and even digitally programmed timers. However, the design of automatic doors is not the only thing to have changed; so has its intentions. As Heron of Alexandria was a product of his time, his presumed intention with the automatic tempol doors was to impress incoming spectators (Heron of Alexandria, Automated Temple Doors, n.d.), a noble desire during the era of mystical inventions. Moving on, Horace H. Raymond and Sheldon S. Roby had a somewhat more practical intention for their design, which was to benefit waiting staff as they passed from the kitchen to the dinning room carrying plates of food. Whereas today, automatic doors are typically installed as an application of Universal Design to allow people of all abilities to entre into buildings and rooms without the hinderance of being unable to easily open a door. From wheelchair users, people on crutches, and those with disease related mobility challenges, to anyone carrying too many hot coffees, a mother trying to corral three children, and the poor condo resident who got caught in the rain, the automatic door caters to all.

Going beyond its literal employment, this invention can be conceptually employed as an exemplary model of Universal Design for learning (UD), as an automatic door serves to remove limitations of a door’s design, rather than trying to accommodate for the specific requirements of perople with varying abilities entering. The engineers have increased the door’s accessibility through allowing people from all walks of life to entre, while also increasing the door’s usability through making them easier for everyone, which mirrors the main objective of UD for learning. In brief, both share the same critical characteristic: easy accessibility and usability for everyone and anyone.

Next time you are considering designing a learning program, take a moment to think about Heron of Alexandria, Horace H. Raymond and Sheldon S. Roby, and the engineers after them, and reflect on whether your program is built to impress, to improve already established advantages, or to foster inclusivity through increasing the accessibility and usability for everyone.

References

Anonymous. (June 3, 2021). The history of automatic doors. JPF Systems Ltd. https://theautomaticdoorco.com/the-history-of-automatic-doors/#:~:text=Greek%20mathematician%20Heron%20of%20Alexandria,which%20activated%20the%20opening%20system

Anonymous. (n.d.) Heron of Alexandria, Automated Temple Doors. Artefacts. https://www.artefacts-berlin.de/portfolio-item/heron-of-alexandira-automated-temple-doors/

[Video of automated temple doors]. Retrieved October 23, 2022, from https://www.artefacts-berlin.de/portfolio-item/heron-of-alexandira-automated-temple-doors/