Honestly you needn't worry about your model-making ability. You clearly have the drive and the heart to do what you need to get through, otherwise you wouldn't be as far as you are. Your studio professor will completely understand your situation, believe me. Regardless, you will notice in reviews how it's the process models that take you 5 minutes to hastily create that get the attention, not the ones people waste weeks on making sure every glazing mullion is glued on properly. The joke is that the better a person is at model-making, the more obvious it is that they should've just gone into construction...

Even after school you shouldn't fret, your employer will understand your abilities and use your talents towards the many other more important aspects of design and construction administration. Model-making is just one means of getting an idea through to a client. There are many people in the field who struggle with much more than that so you're already well above the curve.

Keep us posted. I'd love to hear about your progress, and wish you the best of luck!

As far as UT goes, there was/is a handicapped student (in wheelchair) studying in the graduate program when i went there just a couple of years back. I don't think he had limited use of his arms though. In terms of accessibility of facilities, there are some difficulties, but there is access. We do build a lot of models at UT, though, so if that really is a priority, I don't know if you would consider that. In any case, we do have 3-d printing available as well, though it was a bit expensive to use when I was there. I figure they've been using it more recently, and don't charge as much/at all.
I don't know how much she would be able to help you about this, but Jeanne Crawford is a great administrator at the Architecture School. I'm sure she would be able to direct you to someone who could answer your questions, if not answer them herself. You should be able to find her e-mail on the school web site.

Good luck!

If your disability gets in the way, the school is required by law to accommodate you. There are a lot of ways to make models now anyway...

if you are a grad student, you get the undergrads to build models for you...

Yes, I've thought about those 3-D printers, but I'm not sure if professors will accept students taking the easy way out though. Maybe I'll be an exception.

Thanks everyone, it was a big help and I know I can do it!

That's all you need, passion and hunger will take you farther than anything

You should not be made to feel as if your disability is getting in the way - of you or anyone else - in any school in which you've been accepted and/or paid to be enrolled. Model-building is somewhat antiquated and should be reserved for those who aspire to build models. Reinforcing the notion of model building is not unlike insisting one have Hands-on experience in construction - for some that is merely impossible, and for you it is and unreasonable prerequisite. I think you might actually be at an advantge. Consider that for each comprimised ability there is a more developed and compensating attribute, and You have an apparent facility to articulate yourself in a way which is conducive to Architecture - as architecture is an art of describing - from afar, from the architect's office and into the field. For you that divide is both spatial and circumstancial and subsequently with greater merit than an able-body who has surpassed you in model-building.
Dexterity is both mental and physical and can be measured indiscriminately.

dont let these things get in the way of your passion.....

model building is just a presentation/design "method"

if you can utilize "your" tactics to represent your "ideas" then there's no worries

the last time i built a model was in school. most firms are too busy to build models.

I second what others have said. Don't let your disability stand in the way.

Also, any major university should have an Office of Disability Services or something like that. Register with them, and they should be able to act on your behalf if there's any special accommodations required.

what gin said. architectural education should be about training your brain to think critically and embark on a lifetime of continuous learning. facility with your hands might be a benefit, but it's not a necessity.

and, as someone else said above, if you've got limited mobility in some ways, you've probably got elevated skills somewhere else: wherever you have chosen to focus your energies.

go for it. as gin mentioned, too, there should be resources to smooth the way. figure out what's helpful to you (keeping in mind that some of the 'help' available will slow you down or get in your way) and leverage it.

key is that you sound like you have a good student attitude - willing to receive the education and use it - and that you have confidence. you will need it because, whatever your physical condition, architecture school will wear you down mentally. maintain the positive, confident attitude and power on.

i think the UT grad student that poncedeleonel mentioned is probably the same guy that went to undergrad and UFlorida a year ahead of me. not only did this guy make it through a very challanging program, he excelled. he had very limited use of his arms, but nevertheless he figured out ways to do what needed to be done. practically speaking, it is entirely possible if you have the desire. best of luck!

Just draw and use the comp, you'll profs will probably understand. I would really learn a good 3d program though. If you're profecient in ACAD i'd get to know either Vis or 3dmax as render platforms, and if you want to get more far out the transition from ACAD to Rhino is as easy as they come.

Then again, I do know of someone who managed to get through undergrad and into the GSD off of her drafting alone.

Just be sure to visit the schools and make sure the studios are wheelchair-accessible.

i wouldn't get too hung up on modelling. architecture is a multi-faceted profession and if you wanted you could probably skip making physical models altogether. oddly, i remember some of my classmates only seemed to be interested in models...in which case they would have been better skipping school and just going about a career as model builders.

also, i a little surprised that no one has mentioned ralph rapson here. he is a very successful architect who was actually born with a deformed right arm that was amputated at the elbow but he was so successful despite the apparent disability the his wikipedia profile doesn't even mention it. in fact, i had to dig a little deeper to confirm the arm story and found a reference here.

at any rate, i feel that architecture is a profession that could allow you or anybody else with talent & good work ethic to excell.

a recent dwell article on rapson mentioned his disability. just so you feel better about it, puddles.

i am surprised to find puddles with any advice, seeing as how veterans deserve their arms and legs being blown off, but i digress.

seriously, if you have seen some of the able bodied making models, you might assume they were laboring under some disability. build models, physical models, your disability is part of who you are, and your models should reflect that. not to mention, if you can cut chip board or operate a handsaw, it might be a source of physical therapy. i as a designer would appreciate a model crafted from your hands more than one crafted from a machine any day.

puddles- I just shook his left hand few days back. so yes, there is no right one.

v_phil - most arch schools have a mandatory drawing class. playing with charcoals may be more challenging depending on your dexterity, good luck!

Thanks everyone for the input!

Phil,

My name is Greg Burke, AIA. NCARB.  I am an architect in Florida and a member of the National Diversity Council (DivCo).  I was born with twin birth defect syndromes that left me with two finger and two toes missing from each hand and foot, respectively.

I am putting together an article for one of the architectural magazines on behalf of the DivCo regarding people who are diversely-abled and in the architectural community.  Please email me at gjburke@burkearchitects.com with your contact information if you are interested in being interviewed for the article.

Thanks!

I hope you go for it! The architecture field in the USA suffers greatly from a lack of diversity. Anyone who can look at architecture from a different persective, and someone with a physical disability most likely will have some particular insights on architecture, would be an asset to the field.