I love how you added many visuals through out your essay!

The plan for the future (the estimated finish date and better construction plans) is the claim in your final paragraph. The Department of Transportation is your source. I would suggest adding cost estimations for the new plans or some other info of that nature.

The increase in Marta usage is the claim made in this paragraph. I would add more information such as an increase in ticket sales along with your testimonies.

Is the picture to the left supposed to go with the personal claim made by you or the person you interviewed? I move the picture and say something like "pictured to the left is this person and they said this about the accident"

I believe that your claim in this paragraph is that the traffic in Atlanta is already terrible and the 85 collapse has only worsened it. I would state this before you go into the personal accounts (which is your evidence for the claim)

This paragraph begins by highlighting the inconvenience caused by the destruction the you mention who cause the accident, and then jump back into taking about the increased traffic. I would either separate these topics into two different paragraphs or perhaps describe the cause in the beginning and then elaborate on the increased traffic.

I liked that you interviewed a user of the highway. This adds a nice viewpoint to your essay

I don't think this paragraph necessarily has a claim. However, I would cite where this information came from.

This is (in my opinion) the claim of your intro paragraph. You do a good job of relaying the necessity of this road/ the devastation of its collapse.

by this time in the essay i would explain what exactly happened to the bridge (in case anyone didnt know)

In order to get closer to a "universal design," governments, local and federal, should create a board of individuals that are either personally affected or have a family member that is affected by a condition that inhibits daily life. There should be a wide variance in the conditions and age groups represented. The board members could meet 3 times a year to discuss and evaluate the ways in which their town/city is accommodating to the impaired. They could also brainstorm for improvements and petition or fundraise for these improvements to be made.

Because of the abundance and variations of disabilities that inhabit everyday life, I agree with Jonathan Hsy in the sense that I do not consider a "universal design" to be an attainable goal. Rather, it is a concept such as peace or fairness that should be considered and wanted in order to better society. If everyone stopped striving for peace, fairness, or perfection because it is essentially impossible, the world would begin to decline exponentially. Therefore, even though a "universal design" is impossible, the concept will lead to a better society.

Since disability is, in some way or another, experienced by everyone, why is it not taken into consideration more often? I am confident that most people either have or know others that have a life altering condition. Therefore, it would make since that collectively the community could accommodate to those individuals. With this in mind, I do not think that the issue arises from a lack of knowledge or experience. I believe that funding, laziness, forgetfulness, or some combination of the three is to blame.

I can attest to this statement because by having a blind mother, I am more aware of the obstacles in a setting that might inhibit her from coexisting easily. However, if I did not have a visually impaired mother I don't believe I would have this same awareness.

http://webaim.org/articles/motor/motordisabilities

While reading this article I began to consider all the different disabilities that affect motor skills alone. The website linked above lists and describes a multitude of motor skill related disabilities such as cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. It also includes injuries such as spinal chord damage or limb loss. This source helped me to understand the vast number of ways in which someone can be disabled. It also illustrated the high probability of attaining one of these injuries or conditions.

The idea that everyone's body will ultimately begin to fail in one way or another is also highlighted in "Universal Design and Its Discontents." Every day people are getting into accidents, contracting illnesses, and simply aging. These events often times lead to permanent disabilities. Although disability is essentially inevitable, most don't consider it until reality strikes. With this in mind, able bodied citizens should take every opportunity to assist the disabled because one day, the once able will also need assistance.

As technology advances, could it one day be possible to have an entirely universal design of a given space or will the ever growing amount and combination of disabilities and inherent differences, as mentioned in "Universal Design and Its Discontents," perpetuate the exclusion of "abnormal" individuals?

Often times, able bodied individuals overlook the challenges that disabled individuals face in an everyday setting. In the article "Universal Design and Its Discontents," Jonathan Hsy admits that he had never considered how difficult it could be to navigate a web page that was designed with only the non-disabled in mind until he encountered a web journal created for the deaf. He had trouble making use of the information because it was mostly in the form of ASL video clips and had little to no english subtitling.

In the article, “Universal Design and its Discontents,” Rick Godden and Jonathan Hsy assert that no internet platform will ever be accessible to every single individual. Accommodating to a multitude of different impairments, languages, and mediums all in one “universal design” has proven to be quite a tall order and ranks among the tangibility of a unicorn or earthly utopia. This inherent complication persists in spaces, cyber and physical, especially when the creators of these spaces don’t always take possible restraints into consideration. That being said, content creators should always attempt to make their content as user-friendly as possible. Inger Marie Lid also critiques the accessibility of our society for disabled people in the article “Implementing Universal Design in a Norwegian Context: Balancing Core Values and Practical Priorities.” Aside from the accessibility of the internet to the visually and aurally impaired, Lid focuses on the accommodations of those who are wheelchair bound or crippled in urban settings. She argues that a “universal design” of the city is imperative to the social justice of disabled citizens and is more easily attainable with considerate city planning.

Lid, Inger Marie. “Implementing Universal Design in a Norwegian Context: Balancing Core Values and Practical Priorities.” Disability Studies Quarterly 36.2 (2016): n. pag. via.hypothes.is. Web. 26 Mar. 2017.

Being the child of a blind parent, I understand the struggle faced by those with disabilities in the urban setting. My mother has been blind since she was 27, which means she has been unable to provide transportation for herself. My family always had to take this into consideration when moving to a new city. Accommodations such as audio equipped pedestrian signals and ample public transportation are essential in enabling her to interact with an urban environment safely and effectively. Without these features, my mother would not be able to function normally. She would be invisible.

This is an image of a floor plan for the first level of the Georgia State Recreation Center found on the school's website. I believe that these structures are suitable for leisure activity and play. However, I believe that they are too rigid and distracting for completing homework or relaxing the mind. Natural environments don't have inflexible floor plan and thus are more encouraging of creativity and movement

In "The College Amenities Arms Race" Cara Newlon suggests that some of the less prestigious schools add flashy services in order to make their campus more attractive to incoming students. I believe that, although laboratories and recreational centers may be important to a holistic school environment, too many amenities can be distracting and thus hindering of a student's educational experience. In the words of Ben Franklin "moderation in all things, including moderation."

Could libraries and other campus buildings with technological components such as computers and televisions be counteractive to the learning process? Or do the advantages of these learning tools outweigh the potential risk of distraction? Does there need to be a balance of added amenities and natural spaces for the learning experience to be complete?

Perhaps building planners could get a sense of what environments students benefit most from by studying the physical environments already created for some institutions. They could make inferences from the evidence in the buildings just like the excavators in "Parting Ways." The grassy spot near the Urban Life Center is left in exceptional condition every time I return. However there are some areas that are altered or vandalized by students. For example, there is a television in the library that no longer works because a student punched the screen. This to me is evidence of a disrespected and perhaps disliked environment.

The author of "The College Amenities Arms Race" argues that students do not need fancy "resort-like" features to perform well. In fact, these extra accommodations are most likely to cause distractions and lead to lower student retention rates. That being said, the author of "Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces," while recognizing that spaces outside of the rigid structure of the classroom are important to a holistic learning environment, does not impose a need for day spas and steakhouses. Simple spaces in nature such as farms and trails have exceptional mind stimulating qualities.

This author may believe that Georgia State students are at a disadvantage due the environment in which our school is placed. Being constantly surrounded by tall buildings and loud traffic can leave some feeling deprived of an "involuntary attention" environment in which to relax. There are few spots, however, that students often take advantage of. One in particular is the small patch of grass near the urban Life Building. There, students can sit on a bench swing and debrief for a bit. Although the area is small and enclosed, it is a nice place for city dwellers to get back in touch with nature.

In my experience as a student, I have found that at least 75% of the work I do for a class, whether that is assigned homework, projects, or test prep, is completed outside of the classroom setting. This means that most of the work I complete will be produced in a setting most like the natural environments described by the author. So, not only are these "involuntary attention settings" good for relaxation and information retention, they also have a heavy impact on a student's productivity and performance.

This is an overhead view of Princeton University found on the school's website homepage. The building is completely surrounded by greenery. This setting is what the author deems ideal for a conductive learning environment. There are areas fit for direct attention as well as involuntary attention.

Cara Newlon trivializes and condemns the addition of recreational amenities on college campuses in her article "The College Amenities Arms Race." She compares the steady retention rate of students at a university with minimal resources to the declining one of a school with more lavish features to show that these extra amenities actually do not contribute to the overall learning experience for the students. Newlon shows that usually "less selective" schools tend to add these features in order to support the suggestion that this trend is more of a business move than an effort to create a healthier learning environment. Throughout this article, she exposes the frivolous actions of these schools with a critical tone.

This attitude contrasts heavily with that of Kathleen School in her article "Recognizing Campus Landscapes as Learning Spaces." Kathleen does not criticize the addition of recreational amenities, rather she extols them and argues that they are necessary for a proper learning environment. Although School didn't express the need for gourmet restaurants and resort style spas (the specific features Newlon denounced), she acknowledged that students learn and retain information best when they are not constantly surrounded by stress inducing classroom settings.

Newlon, Cara. “The College Amenities Arms Race.” Forbes. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.

What specifically is the author referring to here? Also, is it proven that these "outside lures" actually hinder the educational process in any way?

https://www.mhschool.com/ss/ca/esp/images/img_g5u3_quiz_map_colonies.jpg Plymouth Massachusetts is located beside cape cod bay. This region is known for its culture and history. It is also referred to as "America's Hometown" because it is home to the pilgrims who traveled on the Mayflower and colonized the area in 1620.

I never really understood an object's ability to tell a story before reading this passage. After Deetz examined the homes of these men, he was able to spot differences in the way they lived their lives. This has inspired me to stop and examine my own surrounding more often.

The lack of historical documentation for this community is partially due to the time era in which they lived. During this time, Americans could record their lives through methods such as journaling while the slave population weren't even allowed to learn how to write. Also, since slaves were considered property, they most often didn't have birth certificates or other documentation of that nature. In more modern times, however, history is more often documented and more easily preserved. This is another reason why the earthquake survivors in Italy will be able to repair their culture effortlessly.

The term "terminus post quem," Latin for "limit after which," can be defined as the earliest date that something could have been in existence. Through out the excavation process Deetz attempts to pinpoint the "terminus post quem" for many objects found on the site in order to draft a timeline or a storyline for the Parting Ways residents.

Definition source: https://anthropology.si.edu/writteninbone/comic/activity/pdf/TPQ.pdf

[http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/JDeetzmem3.html ]

This is a link to a summary of James Deetz's work and a list of his other publications. This helped me to understand the motivation behind his work as well as the importance of it. He was mostly concerned with how cultures changed over time and how physical artifacts translated into beliefs or principles.

 In the article "Historical treasures lost, damaged in Italian quake" Alanne Orjoux reveals the destruction inflicted upon central Italy by a massive earthquake. She includes photographs and personal accounts in order to further illustrate the devastation felt by the citizens and wreckage created from historical and cultural sites. For a country that pride's itself on its astounding architecture, a natural disaster such as this is catastrophic to the culture. 
 Similar to the destruction caused by the earthquake, the culture of the African Americans featured in "Parting  Ways" was also destroyed when they were ripped away from their homes and families to become enslaved. After their emancipation, they attempted to reconstruct what they had lost on the land that was given to them. However, their habits and ethnology had since become muddled with some newly adapted "American ways."

"Historical treasures lost, damaged in Italian quake." CNN. Cable News Network, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

Deetz reveals that he already has very little information on the men of Parting Ways. Then he goes on to say that if they weren't in the Army, he would know even less. It is very shocking to see how much of their history is created simply from inferences and guesses. This leads me to question how much of the history we learn in school was documented in a similar fashion and the validity of such history.

Since the community affected by the earthquake in Italy most likely has older members to pass on accounts and first hand stories regarding the culture and history of the area, I would say that they are at an advantage compared to the men of the Parting Ways community. Since it was common for slaves to be separated from their families with no method of contact, their culture was much harder to keep in tact.

Through out this entire reading I couldn't help but to question the morality of these excavations. I am skeptical on whether or not disturbing someone else's property simply for a guess as to how they might have lived or a slight peek into their culture yields enough information or payoff.

Although I questioned the validity of the history that comes from these excavations, Deetz's prior research appears to be extremely thorough. By looking a pieces of a jar, he could not only describe its origin, but he also knew its uses and could therefore explain its presence in the house.