Global Universal Design Educators Online News

Produced and distributed by Elaine Ostroff, through contracts with the Center for Universal Design and the Adaptive Environments Center, in cooperation with the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Volume 5 Number 2, December 2003 - January 2004

Contents

• Editor's Note
• News from the Global Network
• ASIA 
• Three Nations Target One Design
• AUSTRALIA 
• Sustainable, Affordable and Universally Designed Home
• CANADA
• Disability Studies Inaugural Meeting
• Universal Design Studies Course via Virtual Classroom
• COSTA RICA 
• Policies for Accessibility in Wildlife Areas
• GERMANY
• Student Design - Visions for the Year 2050
• ITALY
• Workshop on Fire Safety & Disabilities Issues
• JAPAN
• New International Association for Universal Design
• NETHERLANDS
• 2nd International Engineering and Product Design Education Conference
• SCANDINAVIA (NORDIC COUNTRIES)
• Era 05 World Design Congress
• Form & Funktion (Nordic Design for All Magazine)
• UNITED KINGDOM 
• easyinfo.org
• Open Space: People Space
• UNITED STATES
• Access Solutions for Multimedia in E-books
• AIA Education Honor Awards Program
• Assistive Technology and Aging in Place Grants Competition
• Architecture For Social Justice Award Winners
• CRiT 57 Call for Submissions
• Going Beyond the ADA
• Home of the Future at 2004 International Builders Show
• HUD Releases Fair Housing Accessibility Study
• A Model for Accessibility, Volume 1
• Socially Responsible Architecture
• Structures for Inclusion 4 Conference
• Transportation Facilities: Bus Stops, Terminals, and Transit Stations
• Visitability Highlighted in FOCUS
• WORLD
• Disabled Persons International World Summit
• W084 - Building Comfortable Environments for All
• Global Universal Design Educator's Network e-mail list
• Calendar
• Adding your information, questions to the Online News

EDITOR'S NOTE

To new subscribers, please note that the Online News is now published bi-monthly. The web archive will be updated within a week of the emailed version. The next issue, February - March will be published at the end of February. The Online News is also linked to the interactive Universal Design Education Online website, www.udeducation.org where you can find more detailed Calls for Participation, archived Calendar listings, and a Discussion Forum.

This issue has some immediate deadlines, please note the following: The call for abstracts from the new Canadian Disability Studies Association and Universal Design Studies online course (Canada), the student design competition (Germany), and the Aging in Place Grants Competition (United States). We include them as they may be annual events and are excellent resources. 

We include the winners of the first Architecture for Social Justice Awards, faculty from 11 US schools of architecture (United States). In this issue you’ll also find a wide range of conference opportunities including an International Symposium on ICT Accessibility in the Asia-Pacific Region (Japan), Engineering and Product Design Education (Netherlands), Era 05 World Design Congress (Scandinavia), Inclusive Outdoor Environments (United Kingdom), Structures for Inclusion, with a focus on reaching underserved populations needing design assistance (United States) and the Disabled Persons International World Summit (World).

Information accessibility is addressed in two projects: ‘easyinfo.org’ is a new website that addresses the challenge of making information easier for people with learning difficulties (United Kingdom) and the National Center for Accessible Media has begun a new multi-media project in e-books (United States). New (or less well known) media include a publication from the Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawaii, and a transportation video from the Center for Universal Design.

Note that the Calendar includes items that are not detailed in this issue. Please send us your information so that we can include it in the next issue that will be published in late February. 

Information from the Online News may be freely copied and quoted as long as the individual author, and/or web site and this source are cited. NOTE: Previous issues of the Online News are available online at the NEW Global Universal Design Education Network website at: http://www.universaldesign.net.

NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL NETWORK

ASIA

Three Nations Target One Design

Source: Accessible Society E-Letter 11/18/2003, http://www.accessiblesociety.org/topics/universaldesign/AsianUD.html
For more information: http://www.asahi.com/english/business/TKY200311080138.html

AUSTRALIA

Sustainable, affordable, and universal housing are usually presented as separate issues but the Queensland Department of Housing integrates all three of these approaches in a unique and integrated ‘Smart Housing’ policy. Queensland, a state in northeast Australia, promotes its mission to "Improving People's Lives Through Housing" with a variety of practical strategies for consumers and developers of housing through a user-friendly website and display homes. Smart House display homes across the state illustrate more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable housing. The Minister for Public Works and Housing Robert Schwarten explained, ‘The idea behind Smart Housing is to save owners thousands of dollars in energy bills, maintenance and modifications in the future ... Through using simple, common sense design and building practices, this house is flexible, efficient, safe, secure and affordable. Smart Housing means incorporating certain features into houses at the design and construction stage. It may only cost a little extra at the time, but adding these features a few years later can cost up to three times more.’ The website defines the three elements: social sustainability - a Smart House has been designed with people in mind. It is safe, secure and universally designed; environmental sustainability - a Smart House is resource efficient in water, waste and energy; and economic sustainability - a Smart House is cost-efficient. 

For details, examples, guidelines and resources, see: http://www.housing.qld.gov.au/.

CANADA

Disability Studies Inaugural Meeting

Source: http://www.disabilityworld.org/09-10_03/news/cdsa.shtml
For more information: http://www.disabilitystudies.ca/eduproj.htm#call

Universal Design Studies Course via Virtual Classroom

Universal Design Studies is an introductory course on the emerging philosophy of universal design. The distance learning approach to the course brings students from across all design disciplines together in a collaborative approach to studying this progressive approach to design. The Universal Design Studies course has been developed by Sheridan College in partnership with the Design Exchange and Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC). The course will commence the week of January 12, 2004, and will run for 14 weeks. The last day for registration is Friday January 9, 2004. 

Course details can be found at: http://www.sheridanc.on.ca/udc/content/udstudies.htm

COSTA RICA

Policies for Accessibility in Wildlife Areas

Sources: Accessible Transportation Around the World, June 2003 edition http://www.globalride-sf.org/jun2003news.html and Disability World Issue no. Issue no. 17 January-March 2003. For the full newsletter text see: http://www.disabilityworld.org/01-03_03/access/costarica.shtml

GERMANY

Student Design Competition - Visions for the Year 2050

ITALY

Workshop on Fire Safety & Disabilities Issues

For more information, please contact: Dr. Luigi Biocca, l.biocca@itc.cnr.it or Dr. Annalisa Morini, a.morini@itc.cnr.it
For the program overview, in Italian, see: http://www.urp.cnr.it/ente/manifestazioni/11novembre2003.doc

JAPAN

New International Association for Universal Design

The organization was to begin operation on November 28, 2003. For more information, see: http://www.iaud.net/en/news/index.html

NETHERLANDS

2nd International Engineering and Product Design Education Conference

Source: Design Research News, November 2003 (archive of all issues at: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A0=design-research) 
For more details, see: http://www.io.tudelft.nl/iepde04/

SCANDINAVIA (Nordic Countries)

Era 05 World Design Congress

For more information including a PowerPoint (.PPT) presentation: http://www.era05.com/

Form & Funktion (Nordic Design for All Magazine)

Form & Funktion is a Nordic magazine, distributed in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The aim of the magazine is to inspire, motivate and promote the principle of society for all, including Design for All and accessibility in the private and the public sector. Form & Funktion deals with issues concerning the built environment, outdoor spaces, transport, IT, products and services, as well as political initiatives. Issue No. 2, Vol. 2, December 2003 provides a close look at accessibility issues in Iceland as well as presenting a number of products, both the kind that are user-friendly to most people and the kind that are annoying to all of us.

For an English version, see: http://www.dcft.dk/index.asp?pid=2960 (there is also a Danish version and a joint Danish/English PDF version)

UNITED KINGDOM

easyinfo.org

Source: http://www.equalopportunity.on.ca/eng_g/subject/index.asp?action=search_7&file_id=25286
For more info: http://www.easyinfo.org.uk/

OPEN SPACE: PEOPLE SPACE

OPEN SPACE: PEOPLE SPACE: An International Conference on Inclusive Environments will be held on October 27-29, 2004. OPENspace: the research centre for inclusive access to outdoor environments, is hosting this three-day conference in Edinburgh to review recent research and debate current issues surrounding good design for open space and social inclusion, spaces and places for the 21st century. The program will include contributions from an international array of experts covering the major themes of the conference: children and young people; disability and social inclusion; health and restorative environments and tourism and leisure.

Website: www.openspace.eca.ac.uk.

UNITED STATES

AIA Education Honor Awards Program

Details at: http://www.aia.org/education/04_edhonorsaward.asp

Access Solutions for Multimedia in E-books

The Boston-based National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at the Center for Public Broadcasting, WGBH has been awarded a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education. ‘Beyond the Text’ will study ways to make multimedia (images, audio and video) used in electronic book formats (e-books) accessible to people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired. E-books offer online and portable access to traditional print media - fiction, nonfiction, textbooks, professional journals and other content- via personal computer, laptop, library systems or personal digital assistants (PDAs).  Accessible e-books promise learners who are blind or deaf equal access to trade, text or scholarly books, a major leap forward in leveling the playing field for people with disabilities at home, at work and at school. For more information: http://ncam.wgbh.org/ebooks

Architecture for Social Justice Award Winners

The Adaptive Environments Architecture for Social Justice Awards Program: Partnerships in Teaching involved a jury of senior faculty in architecture and other design leaders in the award of stipends to faculty from 11 US schools of architecture for their design studios in the 2003-2004 academic year. The selected faculty submitted proposals that addressed issues of social justice - both for students as well as users of the built environment. The studio descriptions can be seen at www.udeducation.org, in the Teach section in ‘Architecture for Social Justice.’ The program is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The faculty are: 

Hansy Better, Assistant Professor, Rhode Island School of Design; Lynne Dearborn, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana and Jason Lockhart, Assistant Professor, Southern University School of Architecture; Keith Diaz Moore, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, Interdisciplinary Design Institute, Washington State University; Michael Gamble, Assistant Professor and Jude Leblanc, Associate Professor, College of Architecture, Georgia Institute of Technology; Jose Gamez, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Joongsub Kim, Ph.D, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture & Design, Lawrence Technological University; Karen King, Lecturer III and Geoffrey Adams, Assistant Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, University of New Mexico; Brian Lonsway, Assistant. Professor; Director of Informatics and Architecture, School of Architecture, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Christopher Monson, Assistant Professor, College of Architecture, Mississippi State University and Mardelle Shepley, Ph.D, Professor, Texas A&M University, College of Architecture.

For more details on the award background: www.adaptiveenvironments.org/accessdesign/faculty_award.php

Assistive Technology and Aging in Place Grants Competition

The deadline is January 9th 2004 to apply for small grant awards to support the Assistive Technology and Aging in Place (ATAP) demonstration program. ATAP was created to help develop, identify, and promote the use of innovative assistive technologies that support independence and aging in place sponsored by The NAHB Research Centers National Center for Seniors Housing Research (NCSHR), in cooperation with the Administration on Aging. 

Details at: http://www.nahbrc.org/Docs/MainNav/Seniors/4082_RFP_Final.pdf

CRiT 57 Call for Submissions

CRiT (the journal of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS)) is seeking submissions for issue 57: CHRYSALIS. Innovative studio articles, project profiles, commentary, images and interviews with educators and practitioners are requested. The Call states, ‘Studio is a cocoon, an isolation chamber where students metamorphose into designers and architects. A chrysalis. Studio is a privileged temporal space where critics help students establish personal aesthetics and creative process. It is also a liability. The more isolated we are as students, the less prepared we are for an increasingly interdependent world. Should studio continue to stand alone.’ With notable exceptions, contemporary architectural education is based on the Bauhaus model, now eighty years old. Practice has undergone radical change in the same time period. Is studio outdated? Can we become architects without this experience? Deadline for submission is January 19, 2004. 

Contact R. Todd Gabbard, CRiT Editor-in-Chief, by email at crit@aiasnatl.org for more information on getting published in issue 57.

Going Beyond the ADA:  Meeting the Needs of the Emerging 21st Century Demographics and Customers

This Universal Design Institute program will be held March 11, 2004 at the College of Design, NCSU, Raleigh, NC. This one-day institute responds to the growing need for information about changing customer, design, and construction issues in the 21st Century. The altered demographics of America have produced a growing need for environments that better support average people’s typical activities. Participants will understand- the importance of universal design (UD), how UD fits into current architectural practice, UD as a process and outcome, the Seven Principles of UD, who UD benefits, the difference between UD and accessible and code compliant design, the functional rationale behind universal features and measurements and learn how to include UD in their practice, Participants will be eligible for AIA Continuing Education Credits. See: www.design.ncsu.edu/cont-ed 

Home of the Future at 2004 International Builders Show

All American Homes, LLC is building the NextGen04 Demonstration Home, which will be on display in Las Vegas at both the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show Jan. 8-11, and the 2004 International Builders' Show Jan. 19-22.  Under the theme of The Evolution of the American Home, the 2,300 square-foot NextGen04 Demonstration Home will showcase the latest in homebuilding technologies, building materials, universal design features, energy efficiency and smart-home automation in a home that is affordable for average Americans.  Universal design is a concept that attempts to plan a home and its products to be usable by as many people as possible, at little or no extra cost. It creates a user-friendly home design that will let people live comfortably and independently within their own home, regardless of their ages or physical abilities. 

For information on Las Vegas, see: http://www.coachmen.com/releases/release109.htm. 
For information on the home itself, see: http://www.nextgen04.com/

HUD Releases Fair Housing Accessibility Study

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has released an unprecedented, comprehensive study of Fair Housing Accessibility in the United States. The study reveals that, in general, compliance for accessibility measures is high. There is slightly higher compliance in building plans compared to what was found constructed in the field. Analysis of the data also shows that building characteristics such as age, size, and whether there is an elevator appear to account for the difference in conformance. Conformance scores were lowest overall for the construction of reinforced walls for grab bars. Other areas of low compliance were accessible light switch locations, and accessible kitchens and bathrooms.

Source: Seniors Housing E-Review, Vol. 35, 11/26/03, (not yet archived and will be available at: http://www.nahbrc.org/seniors2.asp?TrackID=&CategoryID=1751)
Full Report: http://www.swinter.com/PressReleases/HUDStdy.pdf

A Model for Accessibility, Volume 1

The Center on Disability Studies (CDS), University of Hawaii at Manoa has released ‘A Model for Accessibility.’ This model represents the culmination of nearly a year’s work by a special committee set up by CDS to look at the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in all of the projects, programs and events that are sponsored by the Center. ‘A Model for Accessibility’ provides project directors, faculty, students and staff with guidelines for ensuring that individuals with disabilities are truly represented in the work that we do. The Center explains, ‘Our goal is also to see that A Model for Accessibility is adopted by other departments and projects throughout the University and the community.’

Full Text: http://www.cds.hawaii.edu/_pdf/new/final.pdf

Socially Responsible Architecture

The most recent issue of _line (Vol 03-4/03), a publication of the American Institute of Architects, San Francisco, focuses on Socially Responsible Architecture.  By sharing different stories from across the broad spectrum of social involvement, this issue of _line looks at the idea of socially responsible architecture and shows how some architects work to improve the social condition. Some architects choose political action or teaching, some try to connect their everyday work to a sociopolitical idea, and others pursue altruistic activities quite apart from practice. For the full text of this issue, see: http://www.linemag.org/_line/

Structures for Inclusion 4 Conference

This conference will be held March 24-26, 2004 in Atlanta Georgia.  Organized by the Association for Community Design (ACD), a professional support network, and Design Corps, a design service program, this national design conference will explore methods and means for reaching out to underserved populations with professional design assistance. As the need for public interest design work grows, so does the importance of dialog among practitioners who are in the ‘trenches’ of community design service and young designers interested in pursuing similar careers. In an attempt to catalyze this exchange, the 2004 Annual Conference of the Association for Community Design will be held in conjunction with Structures for Inclusion 4. This partnership will allow students, young designers, practitioners, and design advocates to share in the rewards of both conferences, which will be talking place at alternate times throughout the weekend.

For more information: http://www.communitydesign.org/main/conference_select.jsp

Transportation Facilities: Bus Stops, Terminals, and Transit Stations

This video, produced by the Center for Universal Design and funded by the National Easter Seals Project Action, outlines requirements in the ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The video is recommended as a companion piece with the ADA Standards Video Series listed above. Using live footage, computer illustrations and animations, the video highlights dimensions and specific features of the ADA requirements. Working with accessible bus transit facilities, the video illustrates good solutions and demonstrates how persons with disabilities use the elements. To purchase: http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pubs/center/pubslist.htm

Visitability Highlighted in FOCUS

This issue of FOCUS - Technical Brief Number 8: Accessibility in Our Build Environment: Visitability details the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) commitment to funding research into the evolving areas of universal design and visitability. The National Center on Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDDR) compiled a list of resources from a variety of NIDRR-supported projects as a reference guide to information about universal design and visitability research. NIDRR-supported projects cited in this issue include the RERC on Universal Design and the Built Environment at North Carolina State University, the RERC on Universal Design at Buffalo, and the RRTC on Independent Living Management at Buffalo.

Full text: http://www.ncddr.org/du/products/focus/focus8/

WORLD

Disabled Persons International (DPI) World Summit

Summit 2004 will take place September 8 - 10, 2004 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canada.  The DPI World Summit will be an opportunity for national assemblies, disability organizations, NGOs, international development agencies, as well as local and national goods and services providers in the disability field to discuss and share information. The purpose of the Summit is to pursue the issues identified at the DPI 6th World Assembly in Sapporo, Japan, to address the issue of diversity, and to prepare for the next World Assembly in South Africa in 2006. The theme for the Summit will focus on women, youth, and Indigenous peoples with disabilities, as well as equality of language - English, French, Spanish and alternate formats.

For more information: http://www.dpi.org/en/events/world_summit/06-23-03_summit2004.htm

W084 - Building Comfortable Environments for All

Annalisa Morini of Italy is the new Coordinator of the revised CIB Working Commission W084 on ‘Building Comfortable Environment for All’. During its meeting of June 16th 2003 in Paris, the CIB Programme Committee decided to terminate former TG19 on "Designing for the Ageing Society" and merge its scope and objectives into that of former W084 on ‘Building Non-Handicapping Environments’. Morini reports that a main topic for the commission, design for a better usable environment is becoming an economic necessity, because of the increasing number of people over 60 and of the very old (over 85). It is important to note that the trend is shared with developing countries but not the developed. If we refer to the saying by the World Health Organization (WHO) ‘Developed countries became rich before they got old, but developing countries will get older before they become rich’. Furthermore, although there is an increase in the older population, people do not want to live one third of their life in an institute or in collective houses. This is found to be true despite the differences in culture among countries, ranging from the USA, where people are more accustomed to change their places of residence and all other industrialized countries. People prefer to age in place. Thus, accessible, adaptable housing, supported by services and new technologies, can offer solutions to this phenomenon as it addresses most of the issues relating to this change in global statistics. 

For more information on Ms. Morini and W084, see: http://www.cibworld.nl/pages/ib/0302/W084.html

Global Universal Design Educator's Network e-mail list

CALENDAR

January 7, 2004: Abstract Deadline - The inaugural meeting of the Canadian Disability Studies Association/Association Canadienne d'Etudes sur le Handicap at the Congress of the Social Sciences Federation of Canada, May 29-30 2004, be held in Winnipeg, Canada. 

Details at: http://www.disabilitystudies.ca/eduproj.htm#call

January 9, 2004: Grant Proposal Deadline - Assistive Technology and Aging in Place Grants Competition.  Sponsored by The NAHB Research Centers National Center for Seniors Housing Research (NCSHR), in cooperation with the Administration on Aging. 

Details at: http://www.nahbrc.org/Docs/MainNav/Seniors/4082_RFP_Final.pdf

January 12, 2004: Deadline - Fifteenth AIA (American Institute of Architects) Education Honor Awards Program, sponsored by the AIA Educator/Practitioner Network (EPN) 

Details at: http://www.aia.org/education/04_edhonorsaward.asp

January 15, 2004: Deadline - AAM Accessibility Award recognizes an American museum that has made an outstanding contribution in improving accessibility for people with disabilities using the principles of universal design in the areas of programmatic or structural accommodations (Web-based and landscape architecture accommodations will not be considered at this time). 

See: http://www.aam-us.org/awards_for_excellence.cfm#accessibility

January 22, 2004: First International Symposium on ICT Accessibility in Asia-Pacific Region (ISIA) in Tokyo, Japan. The main topic of the Symposium is accessibility of info-communications services/ software/equipment by all people including elderly and people with disabilities. The official language of the symposium is English. 

See: http://www.glocom.ac.jp/project/accessibility/sympo_20040122.html 

January 25, 2004: Designing Environments for Infants and Young Children, Clearwater, Florida.  This conference features presentations on the aspects of child development and neurosensory development, including the works of professionals who have studied the issues involved in the environmental design for young children. 

See: http://www.cme.hsc.usf.edu/coph/village/index.html

January 24-25, 2004: Rehab Dubai 2004 Exhibition, Dubai World Trade Centre.   Rehab Dubai 2004 exhibition will showcase the latest rehabilitation products and services. 

See: http://www.rehab-dubai.com/exhibition/exh01.htm#Rehab%20Dubai%202004%20Exhibition/

February 4, 2004: Deadline -- NCARB Prize Call for Submissions. For the third year in a row, NCARB is hosting its Prize for the Creative Integration of Education and Practice within the Academy. NAAB-accredited programs are invited to submit established projects, completed or in-progress by the end of the fall 2003 term, which exemplify an integration of education with practice. 

Details at: http://www.ncarb.org/forms/ncarbprize03.pdf

March 11, 2004: Universal Design Institute, Going Beyond the ADA: Meeting the Needs of the Emerging 21st Century Demographics and Customers, College of Design, NCSU, Raleigh, NC. 

Details: www.design.ncsu.edu/cont-ed

March 15-20, 2004: 19th Annual International Conference ‘Technology and Persons with Disabilities’, at Hilton Los Angeles Airport and Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotels, Los Angeles, CA sponsored by California State University Northridge. Conference website includes proceeding from previous conferences. 

See: http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf/index.htm

March 16-17, 2004: HEAT 2004 (The Home and Electronic Assistive Technology). University of York, UK. Electronic Assistive Technology (EAT) can support people with disabilities and the elderly to increase their independence and quality of life, but to do so it must be dependable. The HEAT workshop provides a forum for discussion and debate on issues of dependability as they apply to the different types of EAT in the home. 

See: http://www.gdewsbury.ukideas.com/Heat.html

March 22-24, 2004: 2nd Cambridge Workshop on Universal Access and Assistive Technology (CWUAAT) (incorporating the 5th Cambridge Workshop on Rehabilitation Robotics) ‘Designing a More Inclusive World’ Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, UK. This workshop is sponsored by Royal Mail. 

See: http://rehab-www.eng.cam.ac.uk/cwuaat/cwuaat04.htm

March 24-26, 2004: Structures for Inclusion 4, Atlanta Georgia.  Organized by the Association for Community Design (ACD), a professional support network, and Design Corps, a design service program. 

See: http://www.communitydesign.org/main/conference_select.jsp

April 22-24, 2004: Barrier Free 2004 International Trade Fair on Barrier Free Equipments & Rehabilitation for the Elderly & the Disabled organized by the Osaka Prefecture Council on Social Welfare and Television Osaka, Inc.  To be held at the International Exhibition Center, Osaka. 

For more information, see: http://www.itp.gr.jp/bf/english/general.html

September 5-8, 2004: 7th IFA Global Conference on Ageing, titled ‘Global Ageing: Sustaining Development’ organized by:  International Federation on Ageing (IFA) & The Singapore Action Group of Elders (SAGE), in Singapore. 

Website: http://www.7ifaconference.com

October 27-29, 2004: Open Space: People Space: An International Conference on Inclusive Environments, Edinburgh, Scotland, sponsored by OPENspace: the research centre for inclusive access to outdoor environments. 

See: www.openspace.eca.ac.uk

November 17-21, 2004: Design Research Society International Conference, Monash University, Melbourne. Abstracts due 28 November 2003. The theme is 'FUTUREGROUND', and will feature leading edge design research from the international research community. 

See: http://www.futureground.monash.edu.au

December 8-12, 2004: ‘Designing for the 21st Century III: An International Conference on Universal Design,’ Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Sponsored by Adaptive Environments and a number of international groups, including Metropolis Magazine. The conference includes a student design competition, charettes within Rio de Janeiro and an Educator’s Forum. 

See:  http://www.adaptiveenvionments.org/21century/

July 22-27 2005: 11th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction jointly with Symposium on Human Interface (Japan) 2005, 6th International Conference on Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics, 3rd International Conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction, 1st International Conference on Virtual Reality, and 1st International Conference on Usability and Internationalization, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. 

See: http://hcii2005.engr.wisc.edu/

Information from the Monthly Online News may be freely copied and quoted as long as the individual author, and/or web site and this source are cited. NOTE: Previous issues of the Online News are available online at the NEW Global Universal Design Education Network website at: http://www.universaldesign.net

Adding your information, questions to the Online News: 

To subscribe to the Online News, send an e-mail message to the same address. Please include your name and email address within the body of the message. There is no charge. 

Elaine Ostroff, Editor
Director, Global Universal Design Educator’s Network; Founding Director, Adaptive Environments Center 

Diane Richard, Editorial Assistant
Center for Universal Design, College of Design, North Carolina State University

The Global Universal Design Educator's Online News is produced and published through contracts with the Center for Universal Design and the Adaptive Environments Center, in cooperation with the National Institute on on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.