Global Universal Design Educators
Monthly Online News
Produced monthly by Elaine Ostroff in cooperation with
the Adaptive Environments Center, Boston, MA., USA
Volume 1, Number 7, JULY 1999
Contents
-
Designing for the 21st Century II, Keynote Speakers, CALL for Proposals
EDITOR'S NOTE
This issue highlights the interactive workshops of the Canadianconference, Universal Design in the City - Beyond 2000; news from DesignAge of the Royal College of Art in the UK; a UK research position announcement; and the newly enacted US regulations on telecommunications.
Information may be freely copied and quoted as long as the individual author and this source is cited. Previous issues as well as this issue of the Online News will be available online at the Adaptive Environments website at http://www.adaptenv.org in the Universal Design section.
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NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL NETWORK
CANADA
Canadian Institute for Barrier Free Design
Laurie Ringaert, Director, reports on several activities:
The mandate of the Institute is research, education and information provision on universal design. They are working with the Canadian Standards Society (CSA), having completed a draft of the Automated Banking Machine Barrier-Free Standard which should be out in the fall/99. Ringaert was the chair of that committee for the CSA. The
Institute has conducted research on scooter/power wheelchair dimensions and found that the building codes and standards (including ADAAG) are too small. They are also conducting cross country workshops on access consulting for persons with disabilities funded by Human Resources Development Canada Opportunities fund for Persons with Disabilities.
Other activities include: an access audit of downtown Winnipeg, a booklet on Universal Design for Businesses, and a one-stop shop software of many of the barrier-free, access codes and guidelines in Canada and the ADAAG in the USA. Ringaert notes about the software, "It is an expert system so that the person can ask it questions. It will be completed by September".
The Institute is hosting a universal design conference in Canada this fall (see following item). Laurie Ringaert: ringaer@cc.UManitoba.CA
Universal Design in the City: Beyond 2000
Conference coordinators send a reminder that deadlines are drawing near for the Universal Design in the City: Beyond 2000 conference which will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba from September 30th - October 2, 1999. Deadline for Sheraton Winnipeg hotel reservations and special requirements is August 1, 1999; registration cut-off is August 15, 1999.
Please register as soon as possible. There is a tremendous response tothe conference and the Sheraton Winnipeg Hotel rooms are going quickly; telephone: 204-942-5300. For information on other hotels near the conference, wheelchair accessible taxis, or the participatory workshops described below, contact Susan Shanley, Development Coordinator, Faculty of Architecture, University of Manitoba. Telephone: (204) 474-6801; Fax: (204) 474-7533 or email: pparch@cc.umanitoba.ca.
Three community workshops will be offered on Saturday, October 2nd. They are:
Accessibility in the City
Hosted by the City of Winnipeg Access Advisory Committee, Canadian Institute for Barrier Free Design and the University of Winnipeg Institute of Urban Studies. This workshop is intended to facilitate an exchange of experiences in making cities accessible. Topics of discussion will include accessible housing and community design, accessibility audits, strategies for solving access issues in older neighbourhoods and planning strategies for positive change in accommodating all people in cities.
Time has been reserved to provide participants an opportunity to present accessibility projects from other cities. Limited display space is available upon request. Project backgrounds along with the time and equipment required to share your information as well as requirements for accommodations in order to attend (attendant, sign language interpretation, alternate media, special diet, etc.) should be sent to Judy Redmond at 204-986-8345, fax: 204-275-2720 or Email: aacadmin@mbnet.mb.ca.
Limited Registration, $7.00, lunch included.
Design Programming
This workshop will explore the design programming phase of a proposed mixed use development. The workshop will attempt to draw out the perspective of the various stakeholders. The purpose is to establish criteria for decision making based upon compromise and the ideals of Universal Design.
The proposed development of a new regional shopping centre with an attached community centre and seniors life-lease housing project has components of corporate offices, retail, housing and communal space design. The programming phase will attempt to document the who, what, where and when to apply universal design ideals and how to interpret compromise of these ideals.
The workshop is a part of a longer comprehensive Continuing Education course being presented by the Professional Interior Designers Institute of Manitoba (PIDIM) and will offer conference delegates an opportunity to collaborate in the group sessions with various professional designers who are completing the longer course.
Limited Registration, $35.00, lunch included.
Placemaking and the Politics of Inclusion
Instructors: Bob Shibley and Lynda Schneekloth
This workshop is intended to initiate a process of inclusive visioning and strategy development that relates the interests of constituents in the downtown with those of the inner ring of neighborhoods. Its purpose is to demonstrate to planning/design professionals, methods for visioning and designing in collaboration with community members.
The workshop will involve a brief overview of placemaking as it applies to an inclusive process of community visioning and planning strategy.
Following the overview and initial questions on the process, the participants will identify and prioritize key visions and planning/urban design strategies in an abbreviated workshop. The work will address the interests of all the constituents of downtown Winnipeg and its inner ring of neighborhoods.
The results of the visions round of discussion will be followed by a planning/design charette component. The work of the charette will be done by local academic and design/planning professionals who volunteer to work with the existing community leadership and physically model some of the implications of their ideas.
Limited Registration, $35.00, lunch included.
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NORWAY
Olav Bringa who described the Norwegian government’s approach to universal design in the June Online News has new information for us. He reports that the Ministry of the Environment in Norway has launched a new website with information on a 4 year programme aimed at using master planning as a tool to improve accessibility in the built environment for people with disabilities. A summary in English and links to documents in English is provided. The Internet address: http://odin.dep.no/md/pfa.
Contact Olav Bringa: olav.bringa@sveiva.telemax.no.
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UNITED KINGDOM
Royal College of Art
Roger Coleman, Director of DesignAge describes the 1999 competition. The sixth and final DesignAge College-wide competition was launched to Royal College of Art students by the Helen Hamlyn Research Centre on 26 January 1999. The competition is for final-year students on the theme of designing to include the needs and aspirations of older people. It has been running successfully at the RCA since 1994, resulting in the promotion of much innovative work.
The brief of this years competition is as follows: ‘Innovation in the design of an object, image, system or environment, which takes into account the lifestyle, needs and aspirations of older people’.
To qualify this, certain considerations is given to the students so that they can structure their approach. There should be some consultation and active testing with older users during the design process. The project should help to maintain personal independence whilst aiming to bring the generations closer together. Finally, the result should be the enhancement of the image of older people.
To facilitate this, User Forums were organised to allow entrants to test and develop their ideas on older consumers, and individual support was provided for the needs and special requirements of each project. The Helen Hamlyn database, a special collection of age-related material, was also available to all students, so that the entries could be grounded in firm research and understanding. Photographs were taken of the final designs for publishing in the DesignAge Competition 1999 Catalogue.
This year, a record total of 22 entries have been received from RCA students from five different courses: Ceramics and Glass; Industrial Design & Furniture; Industrial Design Engineering; Vehicle Design and Printmaking. Projects range from furniture, vehicles, drinking fountains and wheelchair aids to massage mats, noise abatement and security systems. Each student who successfully entered a project in the competition received £100 from the HHRC towards development costs. This year, new external judges have been appointed and the DesignAge Competition judging and awards ceremony was held on 1 July 1999, during the Design, Communications and Humanities Show.
There are a number of innovations this year to reflect the inclusion of the DesignAge Competition within the new Helen Hamlyn Research Centre. DesignAge entrants and winners will have a strong profile at the RCA Show as part of an enhanced Centre presence.
In addition, running alongside the DesignAge Competition is the new Snowdon Award for Disability, which will make its first award from among graduating RCA students this summer. Lord Snowdon is the Provost of the RCA, and the award is for the best project that addresses the needs of disabled people. It takes a very broad view, whereby entries can range from wheelchair projects to tactile sculptures for the visually impaired.
Several projects, selected by the editor of Online News, are described below, to give an idea of the range of submissions. All the following descriptions have been taken from the students’ entry forms. In some cases therefore, the projects have significantly moved on. These descriptions, however, provide a brief overview of the area each student is addressing. The selected projects are all from the Industrial Design Engineering department.
MARTIN BLOOMFIELD - Pull the plug A flexible plastic strip which fits any UK plug and can be used to push or pull the plug in and out of the socket. Its direct appeal is to those with grip difficulties, but the style and the concept is designed to appeal to all age groups. It will fit most styles of plug and has a very low cost. It requires no rewiring and can be easily fitted to a plug in seconds.
ANDREAS RAPTOPOULOS - Noise and sound
A noise partitioning device which screens the sounds of the outside environment, transforming them into more pleasant sounds for the inside. The passive element (a screen of absorption material) reduces the volume and the active element (consisting of microphones, loudspeakers and a processing unit) makes the sound more pleasant. The user can define and regulate the sound that comes through. Suggested markets are buildings (especially domestic) which are in busy or noisy environments. Specific applications concerning the elderly are those with auditory problems or diseases or those suffering from insomnia.
EUGENE SCOURBOUTIS - Ergonomic task lamp
An atmospheric lamp that is remotely controlled from the base to vary positioning and intensity of light. The lamp is ideal for those with visual impairment as well as those who do not want to stretch and contort themselves in order to reach the controls. It also avoids having to touch the hot casing around the bulb in order to adjust the lamp.
STEFANO TAM - Roof Frame
A car roof frame that enables the lifting of large and heavy objects (such as bicycles) onto the rooftop. It reduces the risk of strain injury with a simple yet effective power-assist and increases the mobility of the over-50’s by providing an elegant solution to moving cumbersome objects. It can be transformed into a trolley to move the items around on the ground, or it can be used as storage space in the garage. Prime market is the over 50s- but this is also a product that will appeal to all age groups.
DesignAge also has several new research projects and other programs that can be viewed at: http://DesignAge.rca.ac.uk/.
University of Salford, SURFACE
(Salford University Research Focus on Accessible Environments)
APPOINTMENT OF RESEARCH ASSISTANT (Ref TIME/10)
A Research Assistant is required to join a team investigating the theory and application
of accessibility in the built environment. The research is a 30 month project funded by
the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
The research focus and structure have been agreed with the EPSRC and as Research Assistant you will undertake the specific duties and responsibilities outlined in the research programme.
SURFACE firmly believes that many of the barriers facing disabled people result from poor design, or management, of buildings and facilities. As a member of the research team you will be expected to assist in the promotion of access and disability issues based on a social model approach. You should have a reasonable understanding of disability and access issues, and it would be desirable if you have a basic understanding of construction and building design processes. You will need good communication skills, be self-motivated, and you will be required to travel to meetings and conferences. Full-time attendance at the University may not be necessary and there may be some opportunity to work from home. You will need to process information via computer so a reasonable understanding of computer hardware and software is important. Ideally you should have direct experience of disability.
A minimum qualification for a Research Assistant is a first degree or equivalent professional qualification (in any discipline) and the team will actively encourage and support you to enroll for a Ph.D. in the area of the funded research. Starting Salary £16,286 per annum.
Further particulars are available from the Personnel Division, AllertonBuilding, University of Salford, Salford, M6 6PU, United Kingdom
Telephone +44 (0)161 295 2122 - 24 hour answering service). Please remember to quote reference number TIME 10. The information is available in alternative formats on request.
For informal enquires please telephone the SURFACE research team on +44
(0)161 295 4600, or email a.lewis@surveying.salford.ac.uk.
Closing date for applications is Friday 30 July 1999.
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UNITED STATES
Access to Design Professions
This new year long planning project described in the June Online news, is moving forward with 33 interviews conducted with designers with disabilities around the world. Daniel Hunter, the Project Researcher is still collecting names of people who may want to know about the International Network that will be initiated as part of the project. Recommendations from the Action Plan created by the Task Force that will meet in August will be included in the September Online News. For more information about the international network contact Hunter at dgh@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Gracious Spaces, published by McGraw Hill, July 1999
A press release describes the new book written by leading interior and universal design experts Irma Dobkin and Mary Jo Peterson. "Gracious Spaces is the first practical guide to accessible design for homes. Dispelling the notion that accessible and supportive residential spaces are by definition unattractive and lacking in imagination, Gracious Spaces demonstrates that these spaces can please the eye, the heart, the mind, and the spirit. With more than 150 illustrations and numerous case studies, this important reference showcases interiors that are beautiful, stylish, and practical - that work today and will work through all stages of life.
The projects featured here are reflections of their owners, from high-style to laid-back casual - all unique. They cover a broad spectrum of needs, budgets, and space. In every case, the plans and drawings, the photographs, and particularly each owner's story will inspire design/build professionals and their clients". McGraw-Hill's web address is http://www.books.magraw-hill.com and you can order by calling 1-800-2-MCGRAW.
Telecommunications Regulations Announced
On July 14, The Federal Communications Commission announced that it will adopt regulations to make telecommunications services and equipment accessible for people with disabilities. The following is excerpted from several news articles.
Vice President Gore made this statement regarding the FCC's announcement: "When President Clinton and I fought for the Telecommunications Act of 1996, we wanted to ensure that all Americans -- including the 54 million Americans with disabilities -- would have the opportunity to be full participants in the Information Revolution.
"That is why I am pleased that today the Federal Communications Commission, under the leadership of Chairman Bill Kennard, announced that it will help make telecommunications services and equipment accessible for people with disabilities. Telecommunications can allow people with disabilities to lead more independent lives, and increase their employment opportunities -- but only if these technologies are designed with their needs in mind.
"I want to thank those in industry and the disability community who found common ground on this important issue. I am confident that America's innovative telecommunications companies will rise to this challenge, and will develop accessible technologies that will amaze and delight us. By working together, the FCC, industry and the disability community will help ensure that our newest technologies reflect our oldest values.
From John Schwartz Washington Post Staff Writer, July 14:
Cellular phones that provide clear sound over hearing aids or ‘speak’ usage instructions to the blind could become commonplace under rules that federal regulators enacted today. The new rules ordered by the Federal Communications Commission would require that new telecommunications products and services be usable by people who are physically disabled, and could ultimately transform the telephones and services used by every American, said FCC Chairman William E. Kennard.
"This action represents the most significant opportunity for people with disabilities since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990," Kennard said, calling the new regulation "the ADA for the information age."
The communications industry is largely on board with the new rules. Objections that some companies raised at the draft-rule stage were worked out, several industry representatives said.
Disabled people have long complained that many of the mass-market products sold by the telecommunications industry are useless to them. People who use hearing aids, for instance, often have trouble talking on cell phones because the electronics in the two devices conflict. Simple modifications could make usable the high-tech devices that have become common in daily life for many Americans.
Many of these features could come about simply by tweaking the software in today's phones, said Gregg C. Vanderheiden, a professor of industrial engineering at the University of Wisconsin.
For example, the small screens that are showing up on more and more phones could be engineered to provide readouts for a text transmission system used by the deaf. Some of the benefits, such as voice commands for people unable to use their hands, would be enjoyed by anyone using the upgraded equipment, Vanderheiden said -- in the same way that television closed captions are used by people who want to watch TV with the sound off.
Vanderheiden has created a prototype cell phone with special diamond-shaped button that allows users whose fingers might bump unwanted keys to select the buttons they want and then confirm the choice. That button can also be programmed to make the phone speak the function of the other buttons, so that the phone can be more easily used by the blind.
Rather than mandate specific features and "micro-manage" manufacturing, Kennard said, the new rules will require companies to meet with advocates for the disabled and design access into phones from the start. Kennard said any added expense of creating these features will be more than offset by increased sales. The costs of implementing the features should not raise prices greatly, agreed Al Lucas, a vice president with cell-phone maker Motorola Inc. who is responsible for designing the company's products so they will be accessible to the disabled. Cellular companies are ready to comply with the new rules, Lucas said. "We are totally, 100 percent behind it," so long as the FCC does not require onerous record-keeping requirements for companies to prove that they are considering disability issues, Lucas said. …The benefits of the new rules could extend far beyond the traditional ranks of the disabled, said Jeff Kramer, legislative representative for the American Association of Retired Persons. "For our membership, it's an important issue" to have phones for those whose vision and sight might be fading with age. But "it's not just for people who are in their seventies and eighties", Kramer said -- "we're finding people who are reaching their fifties are having more problems than they had in the past" with hearing loss, possibly because of exposure to loud music in their youth."
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DESIGNING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY II
An International Conference on Universal
Design
June 14-18, 2000
Keynote speakers will include Adolf Ratzka of Sweden, Roger Coleman of the UK, Natascha Drabbe of the Netherlands, and Patricia Moore of the USA. The deadline for submitting proposals for the conference and for the pre-conference intensives is coming soon. Proposals must be received by September 1, 1999.
The CALL for Proposals is online at: http://www.adaptenv.org/21century/. This includes the RFP for Pre-conference Intensive Sessions.
We invite you to present your work and demonstrate its contribution to making the world fit for all people. Please join us in this vital international dialogue. Our participants are leaders in universal design development, education and advocacy around the world, a knowledgeable and enthusiastic audience. They need and expect cutting edge information and practical solutions for Designing for the 21st Century.
The 2000 conference will be a leap to the next developmental stage of universal design education and practice. We will showcase state of the art universal design solutions addressing the needs of people across the life span and worldwide innovations in environments, products and information technology.
We will offer forums that consider universal design in the larger context of social justice, sustainable development and successful business practice. We welcome your responses on emerging issues such as universal design in developing nations; hidden disabilities including cognitive impairment and chemical sensitivity; affordability; workplace technology.
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STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION APPLICATION FORMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
Creating Legible Environments is the theme of the Student Design Competition that is being held in conjunction with Designing for the 21st Century II. Michael Everett, Dean, Division of Architecture and Design, Rhode Island School of Design, is the Chair of the Student Design Competition.
The application requires a team submission, with a minimum of two design disciplines. In addition, the participation of other related disciplines is recommended. All students must be currently enrolled in order to be eligible. If you are a design advocate, we encourage your promotion of this design opportunity; bring it to the attention of faculty in design schools. The application suggests the involvement of users in the early stages as well as in review of the proposed solutions.
Submissions must be received by February 1, 2000. It is expected that the responses to the design competition will be developed by teams of students during the Fall, 1999 semester. The full announcement will be posted online at http://www.adaptenv.org/21century/ or we can mail a print copy. Contact Mike DiLorenzo at mdilorenzo@adaptenv.org or 617 695 1225 x 35.
Global Universal Design Educator's Network e-mail list
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GLOBAL DESIGN EDUCATOR'S NETWORK E-MAIL LIST
The Global Universal Design Educator's Network has been established people are exchanging introductions, notes. At this time, this is a group e-mail and NOT a true automatic Listserv. This is temporary – we anticipate that the automated List will be in place in the near future. At this time, if you would like to be included on the list, send an e-mail to: elaine@ostroff.org.
CALENDAR
July 27 - 28, 1999
Perth, Australia
The Universal Design Conference,
focus on retail design, includes a design competition.
For more information, contact: pip.dalysmith@dsc.wa.gov.au.
September 5 - 8, 1999
Montreal, Quebec, CANADA
The Fourth Global Conference,
International Federation for Aging, and the Universal Design Track
For information, contact: ageingconf@jpdl.com.
September 30 - October 2,
1999
Universal Design In The City Beyond
2000
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
For more information, contact: pparch@cc.umanitoba.ca.
October 10 - 13 October 1999
Third International Conference of
Gerontechnology: ‘Ageing and Technology, Starting into the Third
Millenium’.
Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
More information and abstract forms: http://www.uni-bamberg.de/~ba6us1/g99-1.htm.
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.
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