What happens when we look at a learning space and ask, “How can we design Through Their Eyes?”
It changes the way we think about design.
Instead of asking students to adapt to the environment, we should be asking how the environment can adapt to them. How can a space support the way a student moves? The way they focus? The way they collaborate, regulate, connect, and learn?
When we start asking those questions, we can create learning spaces where more students have what they need to thrive.
That thinking is at the heart of Through Their Eyes, an Artcobell movement that encourages us to experience learning environments from the perspective of students with different physical, cognitive, sensory, and emotional needs.
And this past spring, we had the opportunity to help put that thinking into practice.
For the Artcobell Through Their Eyes – Shared Learning Space Design Challenge, I collaborated with Virginia Tech’s Interior Design program and 15 teams of sophomore interior design students. The challenge centered around designing a learning environment with empathy and intent, rather than just aesthetics.
Rather than beginning with a hypothetical classroom and filling it with furniture, students began with the learner.
Each team selected one of our Artcobell Through Their Eyes students, each representing a different challenge faced in the classroom. From there, they researched their students' needs and asked themselves how they could design a space that creates a better learning environment for everyone – not just their selected students.
They explored many factors considering acoustics, visual clutter, sensory zoning, varied postures, biophilic elements, mobility, and even trauma-informed design strategies.
Some teams incorporated sensory zoning and trauma-informed design into their planning even though those ideas weren’t mentioned in the assignment. They were simply the result of looking more closely at the experience of the learner.
That is what designing Through Their Eyes is all about.
The highest-scoring team designed the "Timber Trail Learning Lodge", a shared learning space around Luke, an 8-year-old student with muscular dystrophy who uses a wheelchair.
Not only did the team ask what Luke needed in the moment, but they also took a step back and asked, “What happens as Luke’s needs change?”
That question led them to think beyond individual needs and consider how the learning environment could continue to support Luke over time.
Led by Virginia Tech student Mary Dayton, the team organized the classroom into three intentional zones: an instructional area, a collaboration space, and the Beaver Den, a calm corner designed to support sensory and emotional regulation.
Accessible pathways allow Luke to move throughout the room, while flexible seating and activity zones create choices that can benefit every student in the space.
The Beaver Den is a great example of how designing for a specific need can result in something valuable for many learners.
Low, curved storage subtly separates the quiet area from the collaborative space, giving students a little space when they need it without taking them out of the learning experience.
This thoughtful approach to space and furniture placement shows how the team truly brought Through Their Eyes to life, designing the classroom around the students who experience it every day.
They truly embraced what student-centered design is all about: removing barriers, creating independence, and giving every learner greater access to their environment.
Congratulations to the Timber Trail Learning Lodge team for creating a space that reflects what it means to truly design Through Their Eyes.
Inclusive learning environments aren't simply about checking a box or meeting a minimum requirement. Accessibility matters, but thoughtful design asks us to go further.
Can a student physically enter the space? Sure. But can they actively participate? That’s the real question.
That question helped guide the winning team of Virginia Tech students throughout the challenge, but it was something we saw across every team. Each group put so much thought and intention behind their decisions.
It wasn’t just about choosing a specific floor plan, furniture piece, or design feature. It was about designing with empathy and putting themselves in the student’s shoes – seeing the learning space Through Their Eyes.