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Global Universal Design Educators 
Monthly Online News

Produced monthly by Elaine Ostroff in cooperation with
the Adaptive Environments Center, Boston, MA., USA

Volume 2, Number 4, APRIL 2000

Contents

EDITOR'S NOTE

In this issue we are pleased to include news from Europe on the movement, "Busses for All" and information from the United Kingdom's Centre for Accessible Environments on school building design as it relates to inclusive education. There are several timely activities on universal design in the US that invite participation from our readers - the AAES Access Engineering Awards, the RERC Center for Universal Design at Buffalo new curriculum project and the US Access Board's proposed 508 standards. The Center for Universal Design at NC State announces the completion of a universally designed home for Habitat for Humanity. News about Designing for the 21st Century II highlights the invited panels and their international participants.

Information from the Monthly Online News may be freely copied and quoted as long as the individual author and this source is cited. Previous issues of the Online News are available online at the Adaptive Environments website at http://www.adaptenv.org/global/.

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NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL NETWORK

EUROPE

BUSES FOR ALL

Buses for All (Europe) is a very small group of volunteers who have an interest in buses being accessible for disabled people. This article is an excerpt from their website at: http://www.disabilitynet.co.uk/groups/busesforall/index.html. The multi-lingual header on their website gives an indication of the number of European nations involved in the issue:

Lewjoreion gia olous - Autobus para todos - L'autobús per tot - L'autobus pour tous - L'autobus per tutti - Bus voor geheel - Busse für alle - Buses for all - Bus para tudo - Bus til alle - Buss för all

The group has a technical knowledge of buses, and is concentrating its attention on the work of the European Commission. For some years now, the European Commission has been drafting a new law, called a Directive, on the design rules for buses and coaches. At the moment, different EU countries have different design rules, and this stops the free selling of buses and coaches from one EU country to another.

Buses for All (Europe), along with disability organizations and other allies, have been pressing the European Commission to make full access a compulsory part of the design rules. This campaign has the support of many parts of the European Parliament, and especially its all party Disability Intergroup. The introduction to the most recent working draft of the directive accepted that full access must be designed into some all buses, and not yet into coaches.

In looking to make all buses accessible, The Buses for All (Europe) group is not only interested in the new type of low floor bus, because in some hilly areas there are problems in using low floor buses. There are already many accessible buses which use lifts, and there will remain an important place for these buses, especially in rural and hilly areas. In the flatter, urban areas the low floor bus has many advantages - people can get on and off very quickly, and many passengers with pushchairs, shopping trolleys and heavy luggage appreciate the ease of getting on and off.

Many of the new buses also include cleaner engines, reducing sulphur exhaust, and some running on methane gas. For the environment, they provide a better transport solution in towns by reducing car usage, they are pleasant to use, and respect the right of all disabled people to use public transport.

In Britain, the commercial lobby is divided on these issues. Some companies do not like the draft directives they have seen so far because the draft rules would not allow the companies to put as many seats inside the bus as the companies want. Some companies already run accessible buses with tip-up seats in the area where a person using a wheelchair can also travel. Most of the commercial objections to low floor buses currently are on their higher cost than buying traditional buses. In Buses for All (Europe) we feel that once the rules are agreed, market forces and economies of scale will mean that some very affordable low floor buses will start to become available within a few years, and already it is possible to see lower prices in the market. Disability organizations know very well that, as long as access remains a "special" feature, companies will charge extra for access.

Their website has a March 15, 2000 Update that notes that 12 of the 15 EU Member States now support mandatory access for disabled people to Class 1 buses, which is a vast improvement in just a few weeks on just the 5 Member States who previously supported full access. One official is said to have called this change "a miracle".

The update identifies the current effort to improve the wording of the draft directive. It notes:

"There are still a lot of discussions on the exact wording of the draft directive, so we might not know exactly what is being proposed until after 25 May 2000. At that time, representatives from the European Council of Ministers will meet with those from the European Parliament to agree the final text. In the jargon, this is called "co-decision". The European Parliament voted last year to support full access.

There is also now some optimistic talk of another new directive with more full access requirements. This would be called a "use" directive, to sit alongside the current "construction" directive. Briefly, a construction directive says how a bus must be legally designed and built, and a use directive says that only certain types of buses can be used for certain types of work. For example, it could say that only a bus with seatbelts fitted can be used for school journeys.

For disabled people's rights, a use directive could say that only a bus that is fully accessible (currently all Class 1) can be used for school or public transport purposes. This would leave any inaccessible Class 2 buses only for private hire or where everyone must book a place in advance, like a holiday excursion.

We are told that the European Commission has a version of a use directive in its archives, which it could bring out and dust down. However, it will still take months, and probably years if history is anything to go by, for it to be agreed as a new law.

Meanwhile, for the lobby for fully accessible buses, although a use directive in the future might extend access further, for the moment our attention must remain on the current construction directive to ensure that the final text is not a watered-down version of what we now expect to be agreed.

We also need to start researching what each of the 15 Member States plans to do with Class 2 buses. The UK Government has already declared that it will require all Class 2 buses in the UK also to be fully accessible, and we need to find out how many other Member States will also agree to this approach. So, please keep letting us know what your Government plans to do. Thanks".

For more information, contact: buses.for.all@grads.globalnet.co.uk.

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UNITED KINGDOM

CENTRE FOR ACCESSIBLE ENVIRONMENTS: STUDYING PLACES: TOWARDS INCLUSIVE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS

The Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) in London provides a look at the implications of the design, management and use of school buildings in the light of government initiatives to promote inclusive education practices. Flora Gathorne-Hardy is the author of the following article that we have excerpted from the CAE website. She discusses the intent of the Disability Rights Task Force and the Disability Discrimination Act. The CAE website is at: http://www.cae.org.uk/index.html. You can find Gathorne-Hardy's article on the 'Education' page. The full article includes footnotes, useful contacts and figures. Hardy writes:

'These proposals will mean no disabled student should ever again be discriminated against unfairly in their lifelong educational journey.' These are the bold words of Margaret Hodge, Minister for Employment and Equal Opportunities, as she applauded the recent report of the Disability Rights Task Force, From Exclusion to Inclusion. This report combines with a confluence of other government initiatives propelling the issue of inclusive educational practices centre stage. But what are the implications of this welcome drive in terms of the built form of buildings and grounds? How can people working to design, construct and manage schools help accommodate the diverse, complex and changing physical design needs of their pupils? What are the possibilities and potential dilemmas that need to be anticipated?

Access and the DDA:
It seems useful to begin by taking stock of the issue of access and educational provision. In terms of schools, the implications of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) on local education authorities (LEAs) and governing bodies were outlined in the Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) Circular Number 3/97 and elaborated upon in the recently published Building Bulletin 91. These included new duties in relation to employing staff, providing non-educational facilities (such as letting rooms for community use) and in publishing information about arrangements for disabled pupils. The requirements of the DDA and the increasing pressure to provide additional 'community services' have led many schools to address the issue of accessibility. So, for example, Our Lady's High School in Liverpool embarked upon an access audit before letting teaching space for evening classes for parents.

Inclusive Educational Practices:
Looking beyond the challenge of making learning environments more accessible, the lode star towards which the Disability Rights Task Force (DRTF) report points is that of inclusive educational practices. Within such reports, discussion is not limited to who gets what, or which areas are accessible, but is broadened to focus on pupils' full educational experiences and the extent of their opportunities to participate in activities according to their different abilities and desires. As commentators have stated, 'inclusion is about living with integrity in whatever social form that might take'. And central to the pursuit of inclusive educational practice within the UK has been a commitment now enshrined within policy statements to enable all pupils, regardless of need, to attend mainstream schools unless there are justifiable reasons to do otherwise.

There is an expanding body of material that examines what is meant by special educational needs (SEN), the information and skills teachers in mainstream schools will need to work with increasing numbers of pupils with SEN, and questions surrounding the additional resources that will be needed. It is challenging reading: categories of need are critically examined, assumptions about 'normal' pupils checked, and the importance of finding ways to listen to and take account of the views of the child stressed.

The Role of Design:
Given the sophistication of much of the discussion about SEN and inclusive education, it is curious that, until very recently, the role of design in enabling or constraining the lives of pupils has received relatively little attention. For, while reference is made to the physical environment within the relevant reports (see Figure 2), evidence suggests that there is a shortage of guidance on how to create more inclusive learning environments.

What evidence also suggests is that people involved in the design, construction and management of schools are likely to face a series of unique opportunities as well as recurring dilemmas in seeking to implement policy requirements.

In terms of opportunities, the commitment to enabling pupils of different abilities and needs to study in each others' company lies close to the profoundly important task of recognizing human diversity. In asking questions about how design affects the lives of pupils with SEN, people are prompted to examine how the wider body of 'normal' pupils is also influenced by the design of buildings and grounds. Beyond the more familiar issues of lighting, circulation and ventilation, there are questions about how to foster small group play, combat bullying, create spaces for reflection and privacy, and enable pupils to feel a sense of ownership over the schools within which they spend the bulk of their time. The complex but inextricably bound links between people's different experiences and the design of places is thus explored, contributing towards the creation of safer, more welcoming and stimulating environments for all.

In terms of recurring dilemmas, the clarion call for inclusive schools clashes with the same fundamental problem facing those who celebrate the ideal of universal design: namely, that people's needs are not only diverse but potentially conflicting. A pupil using a wheelchair may need room temperatures uncomfortably high for another pupil who is hyperactive; someone with a visual impairment may need levels of illumination that prove glaring to a second pupil. How schools discern between conflicting needs and competing claims upon limited resources are issues that have yet to be fully explored within policy debates. The task, it would seem, is to listen to those practitioners for whom such issues are already and intensely felt in order to move towards (and yet never arrive at) the ideal of inclusive learning environments.

Flora Gathorne-Hardy can be reached by e-mail at: flora.gathorne-hardy@cae.org.uk. She is a researcher in inclusive design of school environments and is currently working as part-time development officer at CAE.

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UNITED STATES

AAES ANNUAL EXCELLENCE IN ACCESS AWARDS PROGRAM

The Association of Access Engineering Specialists Announces its 2nd Annual Excellence in Access Awards Program. Steve Jacobs, Chairman of the Access Awards Program and President, sends this information for distribution to the Global Universal Design Educators Network. The full announcement, including previous winners, is at: http://www.narte.org/aaes or call 1-800-896-2783. Nomination Deadline is May 12, 2000.

There are 4 types of awards that you can nominate someone for:

  1. Access R&D Award: For Research and Development;
  2. Access Innovation Award: For development of new access features and services;
  3. Partnership Award: For furthering effective working relationships between industry, consumers and other stakeholders for the advancement of access;
  4. Access Advancement Award: For significant contribution to the advancement of access engineering.

Purpose of the Award Program:
The purpose of AAES's Excellence in Access Awards Program is to recognize significant innovative technical contributions to the access engineering profession in the following areas:

  1. Designing, developing and marketing a mainstream product/service with features that meet the needs of all consumers, including those with disabilities. The nomination may refer to features of the product/service, installation methods, product support, training, documentation or any other dimension of the product/service offering.
  2. Significantly expanding the body of knowledge associated with a functional area of access engineering, a major new concept, product, tool, or technique.
  3. Establishing or adapting a body of knowledge new to access engineering such that it is accepted theoretically and/or successfully implemented in industry, thus expanding the universe of access engineering knowledge.
  4. Providing exceptional technical leadership in a major interdisciplinary project focused on access engineering.

Eligibility:
Any product feature, process or service; by any company, individual or organization; in any industry, worldwide, which makes a significant contribution to the advancement of access engineering.

To receive a Word-for-Windows, WordPerfect-for-DOS and a WordPerfect-for-Windows version of the nomination form send an e-mail message to: ncr.ideal@ncr.com with the words "AAES Nomination Form" (no quotes) in the SUBJECT FIELD. The body of the e-mail message can remain blank. For more information regarding the Access Award, send an e-mail message to: narte@110.net or fax to: (1-508) 533-3815.

Background Information:
AAES, the Association of Access Engineering Specialists, is an association that brings together people from a variety of disciplines to develop the art and science of disability access engineering. AAES exists as a subgroup within the National Association of Radio and Telecommunications Engineers, Inc. (NARTE) and in partnership with The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA). AAES was formed in 1997.

CENTER FOR UNIVERSAL DESIGN COMPLETES UNIVERSALLY DESIGNED HABITAT HOME

The completion of one of the first Habitat for Humanity homes to use the Principles of Universal Design and of 10 other houses in the New Homestead Place neighborhood was celebrated in a special ceremony on Saturday, March 25, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University worked with Habitat for Humanity of Orange County to revise floor plans and make product selections to ensure that the house met universal design standards and that several of the other houses had universal design features. The homes are occupied and were available for viewing by the new homeowners.

The intent of universal design is to make products, communications and the built environment usable by people with different levels of physical ability at little or no extra cost. Universal design features include such things as wider doorways, grab bars in bathrooms, easy to grab doorknobs and handles, and easy-to-read thermostats.

Eleven new Habitat families were on hand to accept a hammer, a symbol of the work ahead of them, from the New Homestead Place families who have just officially closed on their homes.

The work of the Center for Universal Design on the Habitat project was supported by a $200,000 grant from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust of Winston-Salem. For information on the Habitat effort, contact Rex Pace, Center for Universal Design technical assistance coordinator, at rex_pace@ncsu.edu. The Center is part of the School of Design at NC State.

RERC ON UNIVERSAL DESIGN INVITES CURRICULUM SUBMISSIONS

The Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center (RERC) on Universal Design at Buffalo has issued an international call for submissions for Course Unit Sharing in Universal Design, a project dedicated to promoting the adoption of universal design in higher education. Submissions are due June 1, 2000. This project is one of several projects supported by the National Institute on Rehabilitation Research in the recently funded Center. The RERC is a project of the IDEA Center.

Exemplary course units will be published in 'International Educator's Forum, a juried website publication designed to showcase world-wide experience in teaching universal design and to share information and ideas. Participants are invited to submit exemplary teaching/learning methods, strategies and projects already being used to encourage the implementation of universal design as a process. Submissions should be in the form of course units: curriculum elements that are usually one to five weeks in length, and that can be incorporated into various courses in architecture, design, and design-related disciplines.

Documentation of submissions should include: a narrative description of the course unit (five page maximum), reading list, evaluation method, examples of student projects/results, and teaching tips learned from experience with the unit. A cover sheet with the course unit title, author name(s), affiliation, postal and e-mail address, telephone number, and fax number should accompany the course unit package. Submissions must be prepared for jury review - no identifying information other than the course title unit title should appear on the course unit package.

Please forward ALL submissions as computer files in MS Word format for Windows on a diskette, or as attachments to e-mail messages. Send disks or e-mail by June 1, 2000 to:

Course Unit Sharing Project
RERC on Universal Design at Buffalo
378 Hayes hall - 3435 main Street
Buffalo, NY 14214-3087
USA

E-mail: stt2@ap.buffalo.edu, subject: CUSP SUBMISSION

For more information contact: Beth Tauke at:tauke@ap.buffalo.edu or Steven Truesdale at: stt2@ap.buffalo.edu. The full announcement is on the RERC website at: http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/~idea/rercud/call.htm. It includes examples from course units developed in part with support from the Universal Design Education Project at Adaptive Environments Center.

US ACCESS BOARD PROPOSES STANDARDS FOR FEDERAL ELECTRONIC & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The following information has been excerpted from the newsletter of the US Access Board, Access Currents, Volume 6, No. 2 March/ April 2000. Please note that this information has been abbreviated for the Online News and that the full overview is online at: http://www.access-board.gov/pubs/current6-2.htm. Dave Yanchulis is editor of Access Currents and can be reached at: yanchulis@ACCESS-BOARD.GOV.

On March 31, 2000, the Access Board published proposed access standards for electronic and information technology, the first of their kind among Federal regulations. The standards, which are available for public comment for 60 days, cover various means for disseminating information, including computers, software, and electronic office equipment in the Federal sector. When finalized, the standards will become part of the Federal government's procurement regulations. Federal agencies must comply with these technology accessibility standards for all electronic and information technology acquired on or after August 7, 2000.

As a result, the Federal government stands to be on the forefront in ensuring access to electronic and information technology. They are unique in that they provides technical criteria specific to various types of technologies and performance-based requirements, which focus on the functional capabilities of covered technologies. This dual approach recognizes the dynamic and continually evolving nature of the technology involved as well as the need for clear and specific standards to facilitate compliance. The standards also cover compatibility with adaptive equipment people with disabilities commonly use and access to information, documentation, labeling, and support provided to end users of covered technologies. The standards are based on recommendations from an advisory committee the Board established for this purpose. The Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee, which contained 27 members representing industry, various disability organizations, and other groups with an interest in the issues to be addressed, submitted its report to the Board in May 1999.

The Board is developing these standards under section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, which requires access to the Federal government's electronic and information technology. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use such technology. Federal agencies must ensure that this technology is accessible to employees and members of the public with disabilities to the extent it does not pose an "undue burden." The scope of section 508 is limited to the Federal sector. It does not apply to the private sector or to recipients of Federal funds. The law covers all types of electronic and information technology in the Federal sector and is not limited to assistive technologies used by people with disabilities.

The Board seeks information and comment on various issues through questions it has posed in a discussion provided in the proposed rule. The deadline for comments is May 30, 2000. Comments can be submitted by e-mail, mail, or fax as instructed in the proposal. Comments will be available for inspection at the Board's offices during regular business hours. After the comment period, the Board will review the comments received, revise the standards as necessary, and republish them in final form in the Federal Register. The final standards, which will be incorporated into the Federal Acquisition Regulations, will help Federal agencies determine whether a technology product or system is accessible.

The standards are on the Board's web site at http://www.access-board.gov/rules/508nprm.htm. Copies can be ordered by calling the Board at (800) 872-2253 (voice) or (800) 993-2822 (TTY), pressing "2" for publications, and requesting publication S-38, the proposed standards for electronic and information technology.

Overview: Proposed Standards for Electronic and Information Technology: The proposal provides technical criteria specific to various types of technologies and performance-based requirements, which focus on the functional capabilities of covered technologies.

General Requirements (1194.21): Specifications are provided that address built-in features, where provided, as part of any type of covered product. Provisions would specify that:

  • Color coding not be the only means of identifying visual elements so that people with limited vision or color blindness can distinguish them;

  • Free-standing equipment, such as copiers, meet reach ranges and space allowances so that they are accessible to people with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs;

  • Flashing visual components have a maximum flash rate (2 Hertz) to prevent seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy;

  • Timed responses, such as those often used with interactive menu-driven systems, allow additional time as needed;

  • Where biometric forms of user identification or activation, such as fingerprint or retina scans, are used, an alternative method is also available;

  • Touch-operated controls, where provided, not necessitate body contact or closeness so that people with prosthetics or assistive devices, such as headsticks, can access them.

Component Specific Requirements (1194.23):
The proposal includes criteria specific to certain types of features or products, including:

  • Controls, keyboards, and keypads
  • Software applications and operating systems
  • Web-based information or applications
  • Telecommunication functions
  • Video or multi-media products
  • Information kiosks and transaction machines

Software and Web-Based Information or Applications:
Most of the specifications for non-embedded software and web applications pertain to usability for people with vision impairments. For example, one provision requires alternative keyboard navigation, which is essential for people with vision impairments who cannot rely on pointing devices, such as a mouse. Some provisions derive from certain assistive products used by people with disabilities to access computer-based information. These include screen readers, which translate what's on a computer screen into automated audible output and refreshable Braille displays. Certain conventions, such as verbal tags or identification of graphics and format devices, like frames, are necessary so that these devices can "read" them for the user.

Web Sites:
The standards would apply to Federal web sites but not to private sector web sites (unless a site is provided under contract to a Federal agency, in which case only that web site or portion covered by the contract would have to comply). The standards would not prohibit the use of web site graphics or animation. Instead, the standards aim to ensure that such information is also available in a format that is accessible to people with vision impairments. Generally, this means use of text labels or descriptors for graphics and certain format elements. HTML code already provides an "Alt Text" tag for graphics that can serve as a verbal descriptor for graphics. Accessible sites offer significant advantages that go beyond access. Those with "text-only" options provide a faster downloading alternative and can facilitate transmission of web-based data to cell phones and personal digital assistants.

Telecommunications Functions:
Criteria for telecommunications products would ensure access for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. This includes compatibility with hearing aids, cochlear implants, assistive listening devices, and TTYs (devices that enable people with hearing or speech impairments to communicate over the telephone.

Video or Multimedia Products:
Video programs, narrated slide production, computer generated presentations and other video or multimedia products are covered.

Information Kiosks & Transaction Machines:
Also covered is access to information kiosks, automatic teller machines (ATMs), and other types of transaction machines. However, the proposal calls attention to guidelines for facilities that the Board is currently updating under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Those proposed guidelines, which are available for public comment until May 15, 2000, provide new criteria for ATMs and fare vending machines which are more descriptive in specifying access for people with vision impairments. The Board may broaden coverage of those facility guidelines to cover other types of devices, such as point-of-sale machines and information kiosks, among others. Such action may influence the substance of this section of the technology standards in the final version.

Compatibility with Assistive Technology (1194.25):
Provisions of this section seek to ensure compatibility with assistive technologies people with disabilities use, such as screen readers, Braille displays, and TTYs.

Functional Performance Criteria (1194.27):
The performance requirements are intended for overall product evaluation and for technologies or components for which there is no specific requirement under other sections. These criteria are designed to ensure that the individual accessible components work together to create an accessible product.

Information, Documentation, and Support (1194.31):
The standards also address access to all information, documentation, labeling, and support provided to end users (e.g., Federal employees) of covered technologies. This includes user guides, installation guides for end-user installable devices, and customer support and technical support communications.

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DESIGNING FOR THE 21st CENTURY II
An International Conference on Universal Design

June 14-18, 2000

The following invited panel sessions were designed to address emerging or evolving issues in universal design. The intent is that they will be highly interactive, with opportunities for audience involvement. The invited panels are:

1A: Defining Universal Design
Jim Sandhu, UK, moderator; Molly Story, USA; Satoshi Kose, Japan; Ruth Lusher, USA; Maarten Wijk, Netherlands.

2A: Post Occupancy Evaluation: Evaluating the Impact of Universal Design
Wolf Preiser, USA, moderator; William Peterson, Ed Steinfeld and Polly Welch, USA.

3A: Developing Economies and Universal Design
Abir Mullick, moderator, USA; Veronica de Lima Camisao Costa, Brazil; James Harrison, Singapore; Phillip Thompson, South Africa.

4A: Technology: Policies and Practices
Gregg Vanderheiden, moderator, USA; Helen Petrie, UK; Judy Brewer, USA.

4B: Public Places: Policies and Practices
John Salmen, moderator, USA; Richard Light, UK; William Palmer, USA; Avi Ramot, Israel.

4C: Residential Design: Policies and Practices
Satoshi Kose, moderator, Japan; Jon Christopherson, Norway; Eleanor Smith, USA.

5A: Sustainable and Universal Design, Conflict or Partnership
Roger Coleman, moderator, UK; Natasha Drabbe, Netherlands; Wagdy Anis, USA; other panelists to be announced.

6A: User/Experts: Teaching, Practicing, Advocating for Universal Design
Elaine Ostroff, moderator, USA; Jim L. Davis, Chris Palames, USA; Andrew Walker, UK.

In addition, updates with additions and changes are online with the full program announcement on the conference website at www.adaptenv.org/21century/. Registration can be completed online at the website as well as by mail and fax.

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GLOBAL UNIVERSAL DESIGN EDUCATOR'S E-MAIL LIST

This is distinct from the newsletter that you are now receiving. This is an automated electronic list. We invite you to subscribe if you want additional, more frequent dialogue with other educators, designers, students and advocates.

To subscribe, send a message to: guden-l@adaptenv.org Leave the subject blank. In the body of the message, write 'subscribe. This must be from the computer that you use for your e-mail.

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CALENDAR

May 10-14, 2000
Building Bridges: Connecting People, Research and Design
edra 31 will be held at the Cathedral Hills Hotel in San Francisco, California.
The conference organizers invite the participation of design educators and professionals, planners, social scientists, and others interested in the relationship of people and places and the design and management of places that are responsive to human needs.
See: http://www.telepath.com/edra/home.html

June 2-4, 2000
United Kingdom Institute for Inclusive Design, London, England
This will include the Annual General Meeting of the European Institute on Design and Disability.
Contact info: Andrew Walker at andrew@cottage.sonnet.co.uk

June 6-7, 2000
Mobile Communications, Encouraging Developments for persons with Disabilities and Elderly People Worldwide
A Rehabilitation International Seminar in Potsdam, Germany.
Web site: www.dvfr.de
Contact: info@dvfr.de

June 14 - 18, 2000
Designing for the 21st Century II, An International Conference on Universal Design
Providence, Rhode Island, USA
Contact info:
E-mail: 21stcentury@adaptenv.org
Web site: www.adaptenv.org/21century

June 28 - July 2, 2000
RESNA 2000 Annual Conference, Technology for the New Millennium
RESNA 2000 brings together people who use, develop, manufacture, and deliver these technologies.
Omni Rosen Hotel, Orlando, Florida
See: www.resna.org/resna/resna2k/index.html

July 12 - 15, 2000
AHEAD - "Y2KC: Universal Designs in Higher Education"
Join AHEAD in the New Millennium in Kansas City, Missouri, the Heart of America!
See: www.ahead.org/conf2000.htm

November 8-22, 2000
World Congress on Environmental Design for the New Millennium
Seoul, Korea
This committee aims to collect world wisdom and creativity to shape our built environment for the next Millennium.
See: www.millenniumED.org

June 1-5, 2001
Inclusion by Design - Planning the Barrier-Free World in Montréal, Canada (Palais des Congrès de Montréal)
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is hosting an international world congress. Submissions Due April 5, 2000.
Web site: http://www.ccrw.org
E-mail: ktoupin@ccrw.org

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Adding your information, questions to the Online News: 

Send e-mail to elaine@ostroff.org by the 20th of each month for the next month's mailing. Articles should be limited to 600 words. If the issue is too full to include, and the timeliness of the article allows it, we may hold the item until the following month.

Elaine Ostroff, Founding Director, Adaptive Environments Center, Editor.

374 Congress Street, Suite 301
Boston, MA 02210
Tel 617 695 1225 x30
Fax 617 482 8099

elaine@ostroff.org
http://www.adaptenv.org/21century/

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