CUP: Recent pages: Projects/PublicAccessDesign

Design Fellows

Marisa Hetzler — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:35:50 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/DesignFellows

Hua Chen (they/them) is a designer, illustrator, and learner. They are currently working at Droga5 — previously, they have worked with Base Design and the Pratt Institute School of Design, among other studios and institutions. They work across identity, print, and digital spaces for clients in arts/culture, nonprofit, and education, and are learning about extra-institutional learning methods, community resilience, and sewing. They received a BFA in Communications Design in 2019 from Pratt Institute. Currently, they live in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn with their cat and a growing collection of books surrounding the lore and science of trees.

hchndesign.com

Collaborations

Marisa Hetzler — Mon, 07 Mar 2022 17:32:55 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/Collaborations

Public Access Design

Amanda Finuccio — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:19:31 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign

Public Access Design is CUP’s series of projects that use design to make complex urban issues accessible to the New Yorkers most affected by them.

Public Access Design projects are short, intensive collaborations of CUP, an artist or designer, and a community organization that is working to break down a complex policy or planning issue that affects its constituents. The collaboration results in a visual tool that meets an advocate’s organizing needs as they arise—getting information directly to communities where they are, and when they most need it.

The goal is to put more, and more kinds, of powerful visual tools in the hands of people working on critical social justice issues.

For Advocates

Amanda Finuccio — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:16:35 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/ForAdvocates

Public Access Design is a 4–6 month long collaboration between CUP staff, a designer (or design team), and an organization advocating for community change, resulting in the creation of a booklet that breaks down a complex policy issue.

Public Access Design is for advocates who have a pressing issue that could benefit from a visual explanation. Topics are concise in scope and scale, and focus on immediate issues that are affecting communities.

CUP defines policy broadly. Topics can address: policies (for example, rent stabilization law), systems (for example, how juvenile justice works), or processes (for example, applying for asylum). The explanation of the policy, system, or process must meet a social justice goal and the needs of a marginalized community (including low-income, immigrant, and communities of color, among others).

While the effects of public policies can be widespread, the discussion and understanding of these policies are usually not. We aim to make information on policy truly public: accessible, meaningful, and shared. We want to create opportunities for designers to engage social issues without sacrificing experimentation, and for advocacy organizations to reach their constituencies better through design.

Past projects have covered things like:

Project topics should not be:

promotional/lobbying materials for campaigns
marketing materials for programs
resource directories
plans or proposals (for example, a proposed policy change)
about laws that haven’t been passed yet

Apply Now

Amanda Finuccio — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:14:43 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/ApplyNow

Jury

Amanda Finuccio — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:09:58 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/Jury

Quadira Coles is a Penn State and John Jay College alumni with a BS in Criminal Justice and a MPA in Public Policy. Her work as a domestic violence advocate at Blair County Courthouse and Youth Counselor at a child welfare agency fueled her passion for policy, politics, and a desire to be a catalyst for change. Quadira has conducted LGBTQ+ research and served as a Policy Advocacy Fellow at the Legal Action Center, working on policies that intersect Health and Criminal Justice. She has worked on a Town Council grassroots campaign as the Millennial/GenZ Outreach Coordinator, engaging new young voters. Quadira is the Vice President and board member of the New Jersey Abortion Access Fund and has also served as IGNITE National’s New York Region Fellow, where she worked with a large number of college women to organzie and train them to become politically active leaders in their communities. She now serves as GGE’s policy manager, continuing her work with young girls of color but this time with the ability to influence policy and dismantle systemic challenges that will secure a better future for them. She recently collaborated with CUP on Hey, That’s Not Okay.

Zelene Suchilt is a community organizer, poet and filmmaker based in New York. She has over ten years of experience working for human rights and environmental justice in Texas and New York.

Chloe Chang is a design strategist and researcher that advocates for social justice and equity as the best outcome of any project or process. Most recently they have been part of the team at design studio Openbox, working to create more opportunities for student-led education at the Williamsburg High School of Arts and Technology, and researching how to support families adapting to life with COVID-19 at home and at school. Chloe moved to Brooklyn from Beijing in 2009 to get their BFA in Communication Design from Pratt Institute, and has made a home here since. She was a Public Access Design Fellow and worked Your Truth, Your Rights.

Gabrielle Widjaja (Gabby) is a Chinese-born, California-raised, Brooklyn-based designer, illustrator, and tattoo artist. Gabby is currently a freelance designer in Brooklyn, NYC and has done projects in editorial and book design, brand design, and general graphic design. She was most recently Brand Designer at Airtable from 2019-2021, and previously was a design intern at Stripe. Outside of the studio Gabby’s alter ego is Gentle Oriental, a studio and personal practice exploring the intersections of visual ephemera and Asian American diasporic identity. Gabby graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from RISD ’19.

For Designers

Amanda Finuccio — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 14:09:25 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/ForDesigners

The Public Access Design Fellowship is a yearlong professional development program for New York City-based emerging artists and designers. The Fellowship invites New York City-based emerging designers and artists to learn about community-engaged design alongside a cohort. Over the course of the year, Fellows attend six to seven meetings beginning January 2022. During these meetings, Fellows come together to learn about community-engaged design, anti-oppression practices, and community organizing.

In addition to the Fellowship meetings, three to four Fellows will have the opportunity to collaborate on a Public Access Design project. Public Access Design is a 4–6 month long collaboration of CUP staff, a designer (or design team), and an organization advocating for community change, resulting in the creation of a booklet that breaks down a complex policy issue.

Trouble With Your Water Bill

siyona ravi — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 12:36:44 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/TroubleWithYourWaterBill

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused financial hardship for many New Yorkers, who have to make difficult choices between paying for basic needs like rent and health care and paying utility bills. To partially address this, New York State created temporary laws to protect access to water during the public health emergency. But many New Yorkers don’t know these laws exist and living without water or living with the threat of having their water shut-off.

To protect access to water for low-income New Yorkers during and after the pandemic, the Public Utility Law Project (PULP), Public Access Design Fellow, Arthur Kim, and CUP collaborated on Trouble With Your Water Bill?

The guide explains the different types of water companies, the different rights people have depending on their water company, and the practical steps New Yorkers can take to keep their water on or correct a wrongful shut-off. With this information, New Yorkers. With this information, New Yorkers can claim their rights to water access now and in the future.

PULP will launch Trouble With Your Water Bill? during a webinar at the Rural Housing Coalition of New York’s annual conference. This guide will be distributed through PULP’s technical assistance programs and through legal services organizations, housing rights advocates, and elected officials.

Record It Report It

Marisa Hetzler — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 13:17:20 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/RecordItReportIt

Searching for affordable housing in New York City is daunting. And even though housing vouchers are meant to help people pay rent, security deposits, and moving fees, it’s even more difficult for voucher holders to find housing. Without any guidance on how to use their vouchers or what their rights are, it’s easy for people to be discriminated against by landlords and brokers and voucher holders often feel frustrated by the lack of options in the housing process.

Landlords and brokers cannot reject anyone for using a voucher. If they do, that’s considered source of income discrimination and it’s illegal! That’s why Neighbors Together and Unlock NYC collaborated with CUP and designer Gica Tam to create Record It. Report It!, a guide that explains how to identify source of income discrimination and how to report it. It also highlights helpful tips when searching for an apartment and the power of reporting as a tool to improve housing for all New Yorkers.

Neighbors Together and Unlock NYC are sharing the guide with their network of member leaders and community partners organizing to improve the voucher system. They’ll also use this tool in various know-your-rights trainings on source of income discrimination and housing search workshops.

Hey Thats Not Okay

siyona ravi — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 14:05:22 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/HeyThatsNotOkay

One in three young people in NYC schools experience gender-based violence from their peers. Gender-based violence can look like a lot of different things, but at its core, it’s actions and comments that attack a person’s body, gender, and other ways they present themselves. This includes slutshaming, pressuring someone for sex, intentionally misgendering someone, or online harassment.

For young people of color–especially those who are queer, transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming–dealing with gender-based violence is difficult and confusing. Many behaviors that cause harm are often normalized in schools , making it hard for students to speak up. And the process of reporting an incident is complicated and time consuming, so most cases go unreported.

That’s why Girls for Gender Equity reached out to CUP to help students experiencing gender-based violence understand their options and get support. With the help of designer Luisa Velez, the team created Hey, that’s not okay, a booklet that breaks down what gender-based violence is, how to report it, where to get support, and the importance of consent.

Girls for Gender Equity launched Hey, that’s not okay at a town hall event in April 2021, led by Cis and Trans Black girls and Gender Nonconforming and Non binary youth of color. Students talked about their experiences, led discussions with experts in the field, and shared their visions for the changes schools can make to end gender-based violence. Girls for Gender Equity is distributing the guide to students across NYC public schools.

How It Works

Amanda Finuccio — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 10:28:16 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/HowItWorks

Just as public access television puts the means of communication in the hands of communities, CUP’s Public Access Design program puts the power of design in the hands of community organizers and advocates.

Public Access Design projects are visual tools that go directly to communities whose access to information, or lack thereof, can have major consequences for their health, livelihood, and well-being. These tools help ordinary residents of the city better understand and participate in democratic processes, creating real social change.

Your Truth Your Rights

siyona ravi — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 15:51:32 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/YourTruthYourRights

Transgender, Gender Nonconforming, Intersex, and Nonbinary (TGNCINB) people are some of the most vulnerable populations in jails and prisons and face even more obstacles in an already traumatic environment, like harassment from corrections officers and other incarcerated people. There are some housing options available to help TGNCINB individuals feel safer in prisons and jails but few people know these options and fewer know their legal rights around gender affirming treatment.

The Bronx Defenders’ LGBTQ Defense Project and the Prisoners’ Rights Project at the Legal Aid Society teamed up with designers Chloe Chang and D Wang Shi Zhao, and CUP to create Your Truth Your Rights, a booklet to explain TGNCINB folks’ rights to safe housing in New York City jails and New York State prisons. It also highlights other rights that TGNCINB individuals have to feel affirmed in their gender identity and what to do if your rights are violated.

The guide will be distributed throughout New York City by public defenders. It will also be used in trainings for other attorneys and to other community-based organizations that support TGNCINB people.

Advocate Application

Clair Beltran — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 10:01:05 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/ApplyNow/AdvocateApplication

El Poder De Prepararse

Amanda Finuccio — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 10:01:43 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/ElPoderDePrepararse

Those at risk of ICE arrest and detention face an intentionally confusing and intimidating process. People arrested by ICE get very little information about what will happen to them, how long they might be detained, and what options they might have for release. Without adequate information about what can happen, people can unknowingly agree to be deported before they have a trial in immigration court.

CUP teamed up with the Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) and designer Melisa Tekin to create ¡El poder de prepararse! (The Power to Prepare!). This illustrated, Spanish-language booklet talks about what people can do to prepare for a potential arrest by ICE and what can happen during an arrest, in detention, and during their court trial. The booklet ends with an explanation of the different decisions the immigration court can make about a case. This booklet was created with input and feedback from people who have been arrested by ICE or identify as at-risk of arrest by ICE.

IDP plans to distribute the guide to immigrant communities throughout New York who are at high-risk of arrest and detention by ICE, and to legal services and advocacy organizations who work to protect and support New York’s immigrant community.

Tgncnyc

Clair Beltran — Fri, 25 Sep 2020 13:17:12 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/TGNCNYC

For Transgender, Gender Nonconfirming, and Nonbinary (TGNCNB) people, navigating critical city services like the shelter system or healthcare can be an overwhelming and often traumatic process. In addition to the many bureaucratic obstacles of accessing services, TGNCNB people often face unjust treatment and transphobia throughout the process.

To support TGNCNB people, the city recently created the position of Gender Liaisons who work at different city agencies to help individuals access the services they need and ensure they’re treated justly. But few people know that Gender Liaisons exist and how to find them.

The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) collaborated with CUP and designer Erik Freer to create TGNC-NYC, a pocket-sized, foldout guide, which helps TGNCNB people understand how to find and work with Gender Liaisons across the city. The guide includes sample language to use when talking to city employees, rights that TGNCNB people have in NYC, as well as steps to take if they face transphobia.

AVP will distribute TGNC-NYC throughout their network of individuals and advocates.

Tgncynyc

siyona ravi — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 15:04:44 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/TGNCYNYC

The New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP) collaborated with CUP and designer Erik Freer to create TGNCY-NYC, a pocket-sized, foldout guide, which helps TGNCNB people understand how to find and work with Gender Liaisons across the city. The guide includes sample language to use when talking to city employees, rights that TGNCNB people have in NYC, as well as steps to take if they face transphobia.

AVP will distribute TGNC-NYC throughout their network of TGNC individuals and advocates.

Designer Application

Amanda Finuccio — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 16:12:03 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/ApplyNow/DesignerApplication

Bails Set Whats Next

Amanda Finuccio — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 12:13:51 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/BailsSetWhatsNext

For friends and family members of a person who’s been arrested, the act of paying bail is a stressful and confusing process. Beyond finding the money to cover the cost of bail, payers also have to decide how to pay. There are four options: unsecured bond, partially secured bond, cash bail, or bail bond. But there are big differences between them and people have important rights when paying with any of those options.

Those who don’t understand their rights are often taken advantage of and lose more money. This adds to the injustice of the bail system, which sends about 45,000 New Yorkers to jail each year simply because they can’t afford to pay bail.

CUP collaborated with Brooklyn Community Bail Fund and designer Alex Tatusian and Sharanya Durvasula to create Bail’s Set, What’s Next?, a guide that helps bail payers understand the difference between the four types of bail, and navigate the process of paying.

This booklet uses a series of scenarios to help individuals make informed decisions about how to pay based on their own financial situations. It also includes information on how and where to pay, when payers are entitled to refunds, and how payers can try to protect themselves from illegally high fees.

Note: This guide was updated from its original version to reflect New York bail reform laws that went into effect January 2020.

Get your copy of the booklet in English here. You can also download a Spanish version here.

Bail Set2020

Amanda Finuccio — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 15:02:27 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/BailSet2020

Figuring Out Fema

Clair Beltran — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 17:15:33 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/FiguringOutFEMA

Experiencing a natural disaster is a difficult and traumatic experience. In addition to the emotional process of recovery, impacted individuals need to also navigate complex legal processes to repair their homes and replace their belongings.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides support after natural disasters but it can be difficult to navigate the deadlines for different FEMA programs and fulfill all the application requirements in order to successfully receive assistance. As individuals and families begin the recovery process, it’s important they know where to get support and which resources they are eligible to receive.

CUP collaborated with Pro Bono Net and designer Carmen Rosa Lopez to create Figuring Out FEMA, a pocket-sized guide that breaks down the process of enrolling in FEMA’s Individual Assistance program. It also explains how to appeal FEMA’s decision if you are denied aid or need more assistance and explains your rights when interacting with FEMA.

Pro Bono Net hosted a webinar introducing the guide to different disaster legal aid attorneys and organizations and is distributing the guide across the country through its network of partners.

Were Watching

siyona ravi — Thu, 25 Apr 2019 14:15:49 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/WereWatching

Discriminatory and abusive policing in New York City remains a serious problem that disproportionately impacts marginalized communities. But what can you do if you witness abusive policing or illegal immigration enforcement? Documenting the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is legal and protected by the Constitution. You can support the safety of your loved ones and communities by deterring, de-escalating and documenting law enforcement violence and misconduct.

CUP collaborated up with the Justice Committee and designer Jade Broomfield to create We’re Watching: A guide to recording the police and ICE. The bilingual English/Spanish booklet explains your rights and best practices for documenting law enforcement. The booklet breaks down step by step how to document the police and ICE and also includes tips on how to assess if it’s safe to document. Justice Committee also created an additional handout in both English and Spanish that goes deeper into the risks of Cop and ICE Watching for those who are not US citizens.

We’re Watching launched at an ICE and Cop Watch training hosted by the Justice Committee on February 7th and will be distributed to thousands of community members throughout the city.

Click here to see the guide and get your own copy.

Iscollegeforme

Mark Torrey — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 14:23:10 -0500

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/iscollegeforme

Deciding to pursue higher education can be a difficult choice for anyone, particularly for people who have been involved with the criminal justice system. It’s increasingly important that everyone has the same access to education because it can help transform people’s lives, especially after they’ve been away, by helping them reenter their communities. While there are options for incarcerated and recently incarcerated people to access to higher education, the process can be uninviting and complicated–with very few resources explaining it and a lot of misinformation.

CUP collaborated with the Prisoner Reentry Institute and designer Miles Barretto to create Is College For Me?, a pocket-sized foldout that demystifies and breaks down the process of enrolling in college. The colorful foldout explains the various types of degrees, types of schools, and resources. It also breaks down the steps one can take both while in still in prison and after coming home.

Is College For Me? will launch at a back-to-school workshop for new and returning students enrolled in PRI’s Educational Initiatives program. PRI is distributing over 3,000 copies to its community members and network of partners in prisons across New York State.

Serve

aska mukuti — Wed, 24 Oct 2018 10:16:23 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/SERVE

For trans and gender non-conforming youth of color, police profiling and harassment are dark realities of every day life. Some youth get stopped by police several times a week—some even get stopped more than once a day. Part of the struggle to stay safe in these interactions is knowing and exercising your rights. That’s why CUP teamed up with Streetwise and Safe (SAS) and designer James Dunphy to create SERVE! Street Safety for Trans and Gender Non-Conforming Youth.

This pocket-sized know-your-rights guide helps youth advocate for themselves when they’re detained, searched, and in custody, as well as after they’re released. SERVE! also publicizes rules that protect the rights of trans and gender non-conforming people in the NYPD Patrol Guide, the rulebook that governs how police interact with the public. The design breaks down personal rights and gives youth examples of language they can use to advocate for them. SAS Youth Leaders participated in all parts of the design process, providing feedback that ensured that the design of the guide would speak directly to their community.

SERVE! was launched at a special event at SAS, which brought together youth from organizations across NYC that serve LGBTQQ youth of color. SAS will distribute 6,000 copies of the guide, and plans to integrate it into their youth-led know-your-rights trainings.

Dont Get Iced

aska mukuti — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 17:58:34 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/DontGetIced

Getting arrested can have serious consequences for non-citizens living in the United States. Even a minor crime or dismissed case could lead to deportation. But many non-citizens, their families, and even the lawyers representing them, don’t know about the potential immigration consequences of their cases. An uninformed decision can be the difference between going home or being deported.

CUP collaborated with The Immigrant Defense Project (IDP), designer Petra Farinha, and illustrator Lau Giraudo, to produce this interactive graphic to help non-citizens, their families, and lawyers to navigate the legal system and avoid deportation. A digital choose-your-own adventure, Don’t Get Iced shows what can happen to non-citizens who have been arrested. The site also provides information for lawyers to learn how to better advise their non-citizen clients.

Click here to see the web graphic!

Shifty Business

aska mukuti — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 17:55:23 -0400

Projects/PublicAccessDesign/ShiftyBusiness

Why can’t retail workers make ends meet? As retail companies move to a part-time workforce, retail workers are juggling last-minute assignments and schedules that change from week to week. Unpredictable schedules make it hard to get a second job, arrange childcare, or go to school.

CUP worked with the Retail Action Project (RAP), and designers Joshua Graver and Maxwell Sorensen to make a short animation about the changing scheduling practices in the retail industry. Shifty Business helps retail workers understand that their experiences are not isolated events, but a systemic approach to cost-cutting by their employers. It also helps policy makers see the effect these practices have on workers’ lives.

RAP is using the video in their campaign to organize for a fair workweek, push for corporate accountability, and pass stronger city and state legislation. Shifty Business was projected onto a building at RAP’s May Day rally in SoHo on May 1, and officially premiered at the Workers Unite Film Festival on May 12, 2014.