UD2014

Within the ideals of universal design, built environments should be designed in ways allowing sight impaired people to orient themselves and find their ways in the transport system without excessive use of specialized tactile paving. In the Norwegian debate, two issues regarding the design of streets and pavements and of public transport stops and terminals are of particular concern for the responsible authorities: Tactile paving seems to be implemented in situations where more thoughtful design could have better ensured usability, accessibility and safety for sight impaired persons, and; lack of consistency where tactile paving is laid out. The aim of this paper is to discuss how and why some planning- and design processes produce such results, and to suggest ways of improving the situation.

This paper describes a research and design project focused on investigating challenges of work in behind the counter (BhC) workspaces. Present designs of BhC workspaces do not accommodate needs of intended users; and exclude older adults and people-with-disabilities from employment possibilities. The project examined challenges of work in BhC workspaces for the working population in the United States. People-focused and environment-oriented research methods were employed to learn about needs and preferences of employees working in office reception, library checkout, hotel reception and airline check-in counters. A multimodal research methodology helped to map problems from different perspectives; identify user needs and preferences; and generate guidelines to inform design development of inclusive BhC workspaces. The resulting BhC workspace designs incorporate principles of universal design and enable employment opportunities for everyone.

This paper is an attempt to focus upon the role of Universal Design (UD) in informal campus spaces as a means to create access and inclusion. It uses the Universal Design India Principles (UDIP) as an applied concept in the interpretation of accessibility planning issues for an educational campus of higher learning in an Indian context. Based upon a recent live project on conducting access audit for an internationally well known Indian university i.e. Jawahar Lal Nehru University (JNU) at New Delhi, involving the authors as prime consultants, it maps and defines the process employed to guide universal access in educational campus environments. It discusses the various perspectives of contextual relevance of UDIP with diverse users in informal spaces of a typical Indian education context. The paper finds its origin in the belief that universal access in informal spaces on educational campuses would contribute immensely towards an inclusive higher education.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether adopting an inclusive approach at University of Kent and the American University of Beirut is preferable to just meeting building legislative requirements. The reason for choosing universities as case studies rather than schools is that higher educational institutions play a major role in providing the professional training for high-level jobs, as well as the education necessary for the development of the personality of all their students including individuals with disabilities. Moreover, universities play a major role in promoting social inclusion and participation in the mainstream society.
Acknowledging that antidiscrimination disability legislation ensures and promotes the full realization of all human rights and fundamental freedoms for individuals with disabilities to get equal access to higher education and employment, this paper aims to investigate whether the two universities have managed to eliminate barriers to ensure that all its potential users including individuals with disabilities get equal access to higher education which will then enable them later to get access to employment services.

Methodology /Approach: Two educational institutions were selected to examine to what extent the two universities have anticipated wide spectrum of users’ needs in enhancing accessibility for all their users. To achieve this, mixed methods of data collection were used resulting in collecting qualitative and quantitative data at the University of Kent in high income country in the UK and the American University of Beirut in a low income country in Lebanon.
An online survey was the first stage method used at the two case studies. The purpose of the online questionnaire was to ascertain the views of all users, including individuals with disabilities, and details of their experiences in accessing the built environment at the universities. The online survey contained 24 questions divided into three sections consisting of multiple choice and free text answers, and the same questions were used at the two case studies. The second section aimed at collecting information about the level of accessibility of buildings and barriers encountered, and included questions about participants’ experiences in accessing the built environment, means of transportation used, external and internal features, signage, and emergency exit routes. The last section was directed towards those willing to take part in personal interviews and consultations, and hence it asked for personal contact details.
Access audits were the second stage method for collecting data. An access audit is the process of examining the accessibility and usability of services and facilities against predetermined criteria. Its aim is to identify physical barriers and consider means of eliminating or mitigating them (CAE, 2005). The study carried out physical assessments on six selected buildings at each university to investigate the level of accessibility and the ways in which these buildings accommodate the needs of individuals with disabilities. The audit investigated the compliances of selected buildings to a building regulation standard which is laid out in the British Building Regulations 2000 (Part M Access to and use of buildings, and Approved Document M, 2004), to determine the level of accessibility for potential users including individuals with disabilities. The researcher had to adopt the same standard in Lebanon because of the absence of a Lebanese building regulation standard. Acknowledging that the access assessments need to meet validity and reliability criteria, the auditing process involved measuring the compliance of the physical and management features to the same standard.
Consultation with students and staff members with disabilities and sharing their experiences in accessing the built environment at the two universities was important in highlighting accessibility issues.
Moreover, the study carried out personal interviews with commissioned architects at the two universities to investigate their knowledge and understanding of the needs of disabled people during the design and implementation phase.
Similarly, personal interviews were carried out with education providers at the two universities to determine their input in complying with their legislated duties to remove physical barriers and promote equality and diversity.

Findings
Data analysis of the two phases of the research showed that the built environment at the two case studies did not cater for all users. Observations from access audits and feedback from consultations with users, including individuals with disabilities, suggest that the physical environment on campus and inside buildings did not fully follow inclusive design principles, in that the level of accessibility differed greatly within and between buildings, and in many instances different disability groups such as wheelchair users were served more effectively than individuals with visual, hearing and cognitive impairments.
Moreover, feedback from consultation with individuals with disabilities and education providers highlighted the importance of reviewing the management practices and procedures with staff members across departments and buildings, so as to improve facilities and services to attract more disabled applicants. Insufficient training in disability awareness was one of the key reasons for staff members and architects failing to cater for the specific needs of disabled people. These findings suggest that the two universities need to make further changes to make its built environment and building designs more inclusive and user friendly.
The research concluded from the analysis of the two university case studies that there are five main barriers to inclusive design: These are: (1) socio-cultural differences and inclusive design; (2) misinterpreting inclusive design and disability; (3) accessible design and regulation barriers; (4) procedural barriers; (5) organisational barriers.
A key finding from consultation with users was that inclusive design approach is preferable to interviewed and surveyed participants at both universities to just meeting accessible regulations and approach. These results highlighted the market demand for both universities to base their entire businesses on the inclusive design strategy. By recognizing the diversity of their users’ life styles and obtaining their individual experiences, both universities can identify and remove the physical and mental barriers to achieve an inclusive university environment.

The new office building of the Finnish Association of People with Physical Disabilities was taken into use in 2008. It is accessible and equal for all, and it did not cost more than any ordinary office building. It is a good reference in office planning: how to do good and accessible architecture with no extra costs. Succeeding in a project like this, however, requires lots of knowledge, wide views and a strong will.

The background for this presentation is the adaptation of a new national standard for user participation in ICT in Norway in December 2013. The standard provides requirements for including user participation as a part of the different stages of the development process of ICT services and products. The article sets the content of the standard into a larger context of user participation theories, presents the role of standardisation as a tool for the objective of universal design both on national and European level, and presents some ideas about the practical use of a standard for user participation in the development processes in the field of ICT products and services, but also in other fields where inclusion of users’ interests and viewpoints is relevant.

In the U.S. the technical criteria in a voluntary building standard called ICC/ANSI A117.1. are the basis for minimum building regulations that accommodate wheeled mobility users. Research conducted in 1970’s was the basis for these criteria but since that time, wheelchairs and their users have changed considerably. This paper describes a research and development project designed to update the evidence for these technical criteria and communicate them to the standards committee, the majority of whom do not have a background in either research or building design practice, in a manner that would facilitate making good decisions. A graphic method was used to communicate research findings so that members of the committee could understand the impact of their decisions. The graphics are now available to practitioners who seek to accommodate a wider range of wheeled mobility users than the minimum standards required by regulations. Thus these tools provide a visual evidence base for regulatory activity and universal design practice with higher ambitions.

Universal design is a long-term national strategy to help make society accessible to everyone and prevent discrimination. The municipalities and regional authorities are in general resources for achieving national goals. Their management and works are crucial to the development and implementation of universal design. The local and regional levels have been focusing trough several programmes and plans. In the period 2009 – 2013 the action The National Development Project of Universal Design in Counties and Municipalities have been worked out. The programme erected actions that have involved interested and motivated municipalities to achieve standards for implementation of universal design in strategic and daily activities. In the programme participated 88 municipalities and 17 regional authorities. Results are presentated in a common report Universal Design in Counties and Municipalities – Experiences and Examples.

Aim of the workshop

The workshop aims to create a picture of how different countries work with accessi-bility in order to create an accessible housing and living environments.

Objective of the workshop

The objective of the workshop is to share experiences and to learn from participating countries different ways to work with accessibility in housing and living environ-ments.

Questions to participating countries

In order to prepare the workshop Boverket would like to get some information on how different countries work to achieve accessibility in housing and living environ-ments. Therefore we kindly ask you to answer following questions. We would be grateful to get the answers as soon as possible and latest May 26, 2014.

Question 1 – New housing and living environments When planning new housing and living environments, what accessibility regulations do you have in your country? Please give some examples on how the accessibility regulations have been imple-mented in new buildings and environments? This can for example be explained in photos of good examples together with short facts about it.

Question 2 – Existing housing and living environments When it comes to rebuilding existing buildings and environment, what accessibility regulations do you have in your country? Please give some examples on how the accessibility regulations have been imple-mented in existing buildings and environments when rebuilding? This can for exam-ple be explained in photos of good examples together with short facts about it.

Question 3 – Regulations on improving accessibility in existing housing and living environments Sweden has regulations on improving accessibility in existing public buildings and public spaces that were built before today’s accessibility regulations demands. Do you have any similar regulations in your country? If yes, please give some exam-ples on how improved accessibility in existing public buildings and public spaces can be achieved. This can for example be explained in photos of good examples together with short facts about it.

Question 4 – Other ways to achieve accessibility Do you have other instruments for achieving accessibility that are not connected to law and regulations? If yes, please give some examples.

Research in design, also known as design research, is a new phenomenon, and originally consisted of research into the process of design and development. The activity is domain-specific knowledge within the professional field of design and, as a front-end design activity, develops new information needed to improve the design process and guide design outcome. Historically, children with disabilities have been at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to play. The purpose of the Inclusive Indoor Play project was to research indoor play environments and playthings to develop universal design playthings. The research results lead to the development of five new playthings: a) Turbo Reader ; b) Writing Slate; c) Art Explorer; d) Discovery Table; and e) Music Maestro.