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

Volume 2, Number 6, JUNE 2000

Contents

• Editor's Note
• News from the Global Network
• Canada
• Inclusion By Design - Second Announcement for Participation
• Europe
• Design for All European Network Website
• Finland
• Project Include: the Inclusion of Disabled and Elderly People in Telematics
• United States
• AHEAD Conference Features Universal Design
• Fashion Institute of Technology, Call for Proposals
• National Center on Accessibility Teleconference
• WGBH/Media Access Group Job Posting
• Designing for the 21^st Century II, An International Conference on Universal Design June 14-18, 2000
• Global Universal Design Educator's Network e-mail list
• Calendar
• Adding your information, questions to the Online News

EDITOR'S NOTE

This issue highlights the first recipients of the Ron Mace Designing for the 21st Century leadership Awards, it features two new media from the European Institute for Design and Disability - their glossy magazine; 'Crisp and Clear' and their new design-for-all website, and introduces the Finnish based European wide Include Project on telematics/information technology. Several educational opportunities are noted including a distance-learning event on "Access to Outdoor Recreation Environments"; 2 conference invitations for participation - 'Inclusion by Design' in Canada and 'Integrating Differences: Theories and Applications of Universal Design' in the USA; and we provide the details on the universal design events at the upcoming AHEAD conference in Kansas City.

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

CANADA

INCLUSION BY DESIGN - SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PARTICIPATION

The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work announces a new invitation to submit proposals for the June 2001, international world congress - Inclusion by Design - Planning the Barrier-Free World in Montréal (Québec, Canada).

The main objective of the event will be to look at inclusive policies that can be developed and implemented through government, corporate and community infrastructures. Senior Canadian and international representatives will be invited to attend this truly unique and progressive event. Delegates comprised of policy makers, educators, professionals, organizations and individuals will focus on implementing inclusive policies and programs, universal design and equal access for all people.

The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation and Work is inviting you to participate in this unique event by presenting your work and contribution in support of universal access. Please see the conference website for an informative document about the themes for which you can submit an abstract and general information related to your submission. Please note that abstracts must be received by November 3, 2000. The website is at www.ccrw.org and questions should be directed to Katrina Toupin at: ktoupin@ccrw.org.

Inclusion by Design is a call to the world to stop, think and take action. Come and share your expertise!

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UNITED KINGDOM

DESIGN FOR DESIGN FOR ALL EUROPEAN NETWORK WEBSITE

The website includes timely articles, the history of the EIDD, events, international links and European EIDD contacts. The topics of the succinct articles are:

• The increasing numbers of elderly and disabled people;
• An accessibility databank on the Web and CD-ROM from Berlin's accessibility organisation Movado, with data on the accessibility in about 50,000 buildings;
• Nordic prize for accessibility to two universities in Stockholm, Sweden and Oslo, Norway who have been rewarded for their endeavors to reach overall solutions for disabled students;
• Low-floor buses and their increase, reporting that old, inaccessible buses with three or more steps seem to be reaching the end of the road. The number of low-floor buses in bus fleets is increasing in several countries;
• London-cabs now accessible, new regulations mean that London is the first capital city in the world to have accessible cabs.

The website includes the online version of 'Crisp and Clear'. The magazine is the first highly styled and 'glossy' periodical on design for all and it is extremely effective. The combination of the editorial content, the four-color illustrations and the layout make it a great read - on the web or in the hand. It truly is 'Crisp and Clear'. The first issue addresses the theme: Cities and Transport. EIDD president Francesc Aragall explains 'Why Design for All?' There are several well-illustrated articles on the new Copenhagen Metro, describing the user tests that led to the functional, cost effective design. Project manager Morten Sondergaard says that "No extra cost is involved in thinking in 'Design for All, as long as it is done from the start. Consequently, foreign suppliers were involved at an early stage to make sure that technical requirements as well as user demands were integrated into the design work from the start". Other articles introduce the 'twin pram' as a unit of measure to make a 'station for all'. Berlin and 'its chaos and charisma' are critiqued; and the success story of Barcelona's 10-year plan for accessibility is also highlighted.

Birgitte Wistoft, the Project Manager and Manager of the Danish for Accessibility, greets readers in her editorial:

'Welcome to 'Crisp &: Clear', a European magazine on Design for All, DfA. It is with great pleasure that EIDD - whose task is 'enhancing the quality of life through Design for All' - presents this new European magazine, along with its web edition. With this project, EIDD's aim is to generate increased understanding among the target groups for the diversity of citizens and their needs across age and impairments and to arouse an interest in promoting the development and application of Design for All concepts.

The magazine is a development project with aid of the European Commission's DG V. It will appear four times during 2000 in Ireland, Spain and Italy. Summaries in Italian and Spanish will therefore be included in the printed version of the magazine.

'Crisp & Clear' will be dealing with Design for All in the built environment, transport, product design, information and communications technology as well as services. So the magazine has a large target group: politicians, government officials, architects, town planners, designers and manufacturers.

The magazine will draw attention to examples of good practise from European countries, promote new approaches to design, and also improve the understanding and demonstrate the extent of problems related to disability and age.

In the present edition of 'Crisp & Clear' we show that the user involvement, respect for their needs and an interdisciplinary approach are essential when planning a new town or designing a Metro train.

Your ideas and comments are always most welcome".

Both the website and the print magazine have been carefully designed for maximum communication and legibility. Birger Agergaard, one of the editorial staff says, "Go surfing on the net and see how different types of information are presented in web pages. Quite often, you will see that more effort has evidently gone into working with effects and fancy appearances than with creating a functional design. The text itself, which is ultimately the reason why you actually went to the web page, is typically long and unstructured and, therefore, difficult to read.

The same could be said about printed information. In general, designers in quite a few magazines are more concerned with attracting the right buyers than with ensuring that those buyers, once they have made their buy, will actually be able to understand anything.

'Crisp & Clear' has attempted to collect a few useful tips to help you ensure that all members of the population are able to read the information that you want to convey. Our goal has been to make the printed magazine 'Crisp & Clear' and our website as accessible and well-arranged as possible without compromising the 'catchy' element of the design.

We believe that you, the reader, are the best judge of this: please visit our homepage and let us have your comments"!

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FINLAND

PROJECT INCLUDE: THE INCLUSION OF DISABLED AND ELDERLY PEOPLE IN TELEMATICS

The INCLUDE project is a 4-year cooperation between the main European experts on the issues of telematics applications and elderly/disabled people. Telematics is a term more commonly used in Europe, to encompass information technology and transmission issues. The INCLUDE project's overall objective is to provide the necessary support in all relevant sectors and at all stages of the European CommissionTelematics Program to ensure that new developments deriving from the program are accessible to disabled and elderly people. Their website is extremely rich and encompasses a huge range of technical assistance and information. It notes that the project will answer the idealized question from industry:

'Just tell us exactly what we have to do to accommodate the needs of disabled and elderly people, and we will do it'.

INCLUDE is coordinated by Jan Ekberg, at the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health/ STAKES, Finland. It offers continuously updated information for researchers, people working with elderly and disabled people and also elderly and disabled people themselves. General questions concerning the INCLUDE project may be addressed to: Jan Ekberg, at: jan.ekberg@stakes.fi. Visit the website at: http://www.stakes.fi/include/.

The following excerpt from the website introduces the extraordinary range of information that can be found on their website. The INCLUDE website has:

• Navigation by topic, INCLUDE search engine, a text map containing a list of all links within the site and a picture map of the site, contact points for additional assistance (Help Desk and Expert directory).
• Design for All
• Design methodologies and tools
• Design for All guidelines, tools and information
• Case studies
• Other issues to take into account in the design
• Current and upcoming standards, Legal issues and recommendations relevant to design, Assistive Technology Services
• Information about particular applications
• Getting in touch with the users
• National and Pan-European disability organizations and other user groups

INCLUDE HANDBOOK
This handbook is primarily targeted to telematics applications producers. It presents challenges in contemporary production of information technology, and contributes to meeting these challenges. It introduces usability and accessibility as integral parts of the quality system of the whole company, and offers concrete support for Inclusive Design on both policy level in company management and concrete development level, where the principles of Inclusive Design need to be negotiated by different stakeholders into a working day-to-day practice.

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UNITED STATES

AHEAD CONFERENCE FEATURES UNIVERSAL DESIGN

AHEAD 2000, July 11 - 15, 2000 in Kansas City, will focus on Universal Design principles within the information, employment, instructional, and physical environments, and the concomitant changes that need to be made to foster equity in institutions of higher education. There will be sessions on universal design throughout the conference and the final day will feature a half-day Universal Design Symposium. The Symposium is comprised of three concurrent panels, on the Physical, Instructional, and Informational Environments. It will conclude with a plenary session with representative speakers from each of the three panels.

The Physical Environment panel: Elaine Ostroff, Director of the Global Universal Design Educator's Network; Laurie Ringaert, Director, Institute for Universal Design (Canada); and John Lane, Coordinator of Physical Access, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

The Instructional panel: David Rose, Ph.D., Co-executive Director, CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology) and Frank G. Bowe, Ph.D., Professor, Counseling, Research, Special Education and Rehabilitation Department, Hofstra University.

The Informational panel: Geoff Freed, Project manager, Web Access Project, CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) and Laurie Harrison, MA, Resource consultant, Adaptive Technology Resource Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. The Closing Panel: Elaine Ostroff, David Rose, and Geoff Freed.

AHEAD is The Association on Higher Education and Disability, an international, multicultural organization of professionals committed to full participation in higher education for persons with disabilities. For more information on AHEAD as well as conference registration, see: http://www.ahead.org/.

FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CALL FOR PROPOSALS

The Fashion Institute of Technology, State University of New York, invites participation in 'Integrating Differences: Theories and Applications of Universal Design to be held October 19-20, 2001. The deadline for 250-300 word proposals is November 15, 2000.

The symposium will bring together experts in fields ranging from product and space design to the teaching of universal design based on an interdisciplinary infusion approach. Topics to be addressed will include, but not be limited to, development, marketing and technology in the fields of accessories, apparel, graphic design, home products, interior design, jewellery, packaging, textiles and toys.

Educational issues such as curriculum development, sensitivity training and the aesthetics of universal design will also be featured in the Symposium. Presentation formats will include papers, panel discussions, workshops and poster sessions.

For detailed guidelines contact Dr Desiree Koslin, The Teaching Institute. Room C913, Fashion Institute of Technology, Seventh Avenue at 27th Street, New York, NY 10001-5992 , e-mail koslinde@fitsuny.edu or fax 212-217-7910.

NATIONAL CENTER ON ACCESSIBILITY TELECONFERENCE - "ACCESS TO OUTDOOR RECREATION ENVIRONMENTS"

The National Center on Accessibility, in partnership with the National Park Service, will host a one-day workshop on "Access to Outdoor Recreation Environments" via distance education media including a satellite broadcast, September 27, 2000.

During the last 6 years, the U.S. Access Board has been working with national stakeholders in recreation to develop accessibility guidelines for outdoor recreation environments. Representatives of the National Center on Accessibility and National Park Service have taken an active role in the development of the proposed accessibility guidelines. This one-day workshop will address the proposed guidelines for trails, campgrounds, picnic areas and beaches. Presentations will also provide an update on the status of rulemaking and highlight "best practices" applications in outdoor recreation environments.

Pre-requisite for this course is attendance in a previous NCA training course or completion of the self-study, web-based curriculum. Participants will be required to complete the on-line study prior to the September 27 satellite program. Attendees of previous NCA training courses are also encouraged to review the on-line study as refresher for the program.

Date: September 27, 2000

Locations:
Philadelphia - NPS Custom House
Washington D.C. - U.S. Department of Interior
Denver - NPS Denver Service Center
Albuquerque - U.S. Department of Energy Training Complex
San Francisco - TBA
Southeast Region - TBA

Detailed information of locations will be provided upon confirmation/acceptance of registration.

Class size: 30-40 participants per site based on room capacities.

Eligibility: Open to parks and recreation professionals, NPS and federal land management agency personnel. Priority registration will be provided to NPS personnel as this program is funded through a grant by the NPS Employee Development Program. Registration of non-federal agency personnel will be placed on a waiting list prior to July 31 and accepted for participation as space allows following the July 31 registration deadline. Tuition for non-federal agency personnel is $100.

Registration deadline: July 31, 2000

Updated registration information on this course and others is posted to the National Center on Accessibility website: www.indiana.edu/~nca
For questions contact NCA at (765) 349-9240 (voice/tty).

WGBH/MEDIA ACCESS GROUP JOB POSTING:

The National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) at WGBH has a job opening and would appreciate your forwarding this announcement to appropriate listserves or individuals you feel might be interested.

NCAM was awarded funding from the Department of Education's Steppingstones program to investigate the usefulness of e-description -- extended, enhanced, and educational audio descriptions -- in making instructional materials accessible and useful for students with visual impairments.

We are seeking a full-time Project Coordinator to work with the Project Director in carrying out this research. The Project Coordinator should have some background in the education of visually impaired students. This position requires being on-site in Boston. The project is funded for two years beginning September 1.

A job description is posted on the web at: http://www.wgbh.org/wgbh/jobs/751.html.

Tom Wlodkowski
Project Manager
CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media
Phone/Fax: (617) 300-3486
E-mail: tom_wlodkowski@wgbh.org

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

The conference news in this issue of the Online News highlights the recipients of the Ron Mace Leadership Awards. The July issue will detail the outcomes of the Student Design Competition, describe the United Nations supported Developing Economies Workshop, and introduce the Corporate Partners and the Exhibitors.

Seven organizations and eight individuals from around the world were recipients of the first annual Ron Mace Designing for the 21st Century Leadership Awards presented on Friday, June 16th, 2000 at the Designing for the 21st Century II International Conference on Universal Design in Providence, RI. Named in honor of Ron Mace, FAIA who died in 1998, the awards recognize those who have worked to make his vision of a universally inclusive society a reality.

AWARD RECIPIENTS:

American Association of Retired People, USA
American Association of Retired People (AARP) has made a major contribution to mainstream understanding of universal design. Their ongoing efforts include consumer oriented outreach via mass media, through their publication 'Modern Maturity' reaching 33 million members, and sponsorship of a universally designed home demonstrating how universal design can help people stay in their homes as they age.

Center for Applied Special Technology, USA
Founded in 1984, Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) is a pioneer in expanding opportunities for people with disabilities through innovative uses of computer technology. CAST has pioneered Universal Design for Learning and is the lead agency in the National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum. In 1996, CAST launched www.cast.org/bobby, acknowledged by Web experts throughout the world as the premier validation tool for disability access to the web.

European Institute for Design and Disability, Europe
Founded seven years ago, the European Institute for Design and Disability (EIDD) is a supra-national organization with effective branches in 15 countries. It has had an extraordinary influence promoting a wider appreciation of the social and economic benefits of 'design for all' at local, national and European Union levels through seminars, projects, publications and their website. EIDD enjoys consultative status with the European Union and European Parliament.

Media Access Group/WGBH Educational Foundation, USA
The media access division of WGBH/Boston makes television, film and digital media accessible to 34 million Americans with sensory disabilities, using information technology and universal design principles. Their services include 'The Caption Center', the world's first captioning agency; a descriptive video service that turns pictures into sound for blind and visually impaired audiences; and the MAGpie, a free application which enables website developers and multi media producers to make web-based video and audioclips universally accessible.

Microsoft Corporation, USA
The accessibility group within Microsoft has grown to be the largest group of its size in any company in the world. Their ongoing work includes making Windows 2.0 accessible for people with impaired hearing and dexterity; an Access Pack for Microsoft Windows; improved Access Facilities for Windows 3.0 and 3.1; and the addition of closed captioning and audio description technology to make all of its multimedia products accessible to the deaf, hard of hearing and blind users.

Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc., USA
Moore Iacofano Goltsman (MIG) has been a leading practitioner and advocate of universal design for over 20 years, particularly in the area of children's environments. Through its work MIG has changed the way in which children's environments are designed, pioneering the concept that children with and without disabilities can, and should be, integrated. MIG has had a major influence on the design of public parks, playgrounds and manufactured play equipment.

Universal Design Newsletter, USA
The Universal Design Newsletter was the first periodical devoted to universal design. This quarterly newsletter began in 1993, and has been an ongoing, timely and far-reaching source of information on the variety of applications of universal design. It highlights the practice of universal design in business, government and education in the US and abroad as well as providing objective discussion and debate on the challenges and benefits of universal design.

Individuals:

Maria Benktzon, Ergonomi Design Gruppen, Sweden Maria Benktzon was practicing universal design before it even had a name. She is an industrial designer who feels a strong commitment to design attractive products for people with disabilities. She is well known for her work to prevent physical strain in heavy repetitive work, the best example being her design of a coffee pot for SAS, the Swedish airline, and deeply appreciated by flight attendants worldwide.

Roger Coleman, The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, Royal College of Art, UK
Trained as a designer, Roger Coleman is an influential design educator, author and advocate. He works closely with business and industry, integrating their economic concerns to demonstrate great, socially responsive and marketable design. He played a central role in creating DAN - the Design for Ageing Network in Europe and has initiated numerous collaborative projects and exhibitions worldwide.

Sam and Betsey Farber, Oxo Good Grips, USA
With a simple idea, Sam and Betsey Farber launched a line of products that have become the icons of universal design in consumer products. The ongoing story of OXO Good Grips Kitchen Tools is compelling from personal, design, and business perspectives. Sam Farber came back from retirement to found OXO and Betsey Farber was the first Design Director. Recently selected as one of the 'Designs of the Decade', Good Grips 'is a 10 year testimony to how design can do good'.

Yoshihiko Kawauchi, Access Project, Japan
Kawauchi is a respected Japanese disability advocate, architect, and author on civil rights and universal design. His articulate and independent critiques of Japanese public policies in the design of facilities and transportation systems are helping shift awareness in Japan from a 'welfare, charity orientation' to a civil rights approach that emphasizes inclusive design.

Satoshi Kose, Ministry of Construction, Japan
Dr. Kose is a major force for universal design in housing in Japan. He was one of the first to recognize that the rapidly aging society needs to rethink the design of all homes. His extensive research and writing for more than 25 years has helped revise public policy and design guidelines in Japan. He leads the international network on Design for the Ageing Society and has linked Japan with the universal design movement worldwide.

Patricia Moore, Pat Moore Designs, Inc., USA
Patricia Moore is a remarkable industrial designer and gerontologist who over the years has brought an awareness and understanding of human needs of older people and the concept of universal design to industry, academia and the professional practice around the world. As a designer-consultant, her insights have improved countless consumer products. She is a fearless and engaging advocate who brings a human face to product design.

Jim Sandhu, University of Northumbria, UK
Jim Singh Sandhu has been instrumental in shaping design practice, education and public policy to support the widest range of human ability throughout his long professional career. In 1973 he initiated the course, 'Design for the Non-Average' at the Polytechnic of Central London. He was a co-founder of the European Institute of Design and Disability, founder of the British Institute for Design and Disability and is an advisor to the European Commission.

Gregg Vanderheiden , Trace R&D Center
Gregg Vanderheiden was among the first to realize the critical need for consideration for users with disabilities in the high-tech, fast-growing industries of telecommunications and information technologies. He developed the term, 'electronic curb cuts' as part of his advocacy for universal design. For almost 30 years, he has played a leadership role promoting action by industry leaders and innovation in government policy. He founded and directs the Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.

Ron Mace was a nationally and internationally recognized architect and disability activist whose design philosophy challenged convention and provided a design foundation for a more usable world. He coined the term "universal design" to describe the concept of designing all products and the built environment to be aesthetic and usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of their age, ability, or status in life. He was also a devoted advocate for the rights of people with disabilities.

The awards program was organized by the Adaptive Environments Center, in cooperation with HalfthePlanet.com, the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University and the RERC on Universal Design, the University at Buffalo.

For more information on the Ron Mace Designing for the 21st Century Leadership Awards contact Valerie Fletcher at vfletcher@adaptenv.org.

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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.

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CALENDAR

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

August 4 - 6, 2000
AIA Diversity Conference, D2K: Connecting the Dots
Chicago, Illinois Web Site: www.e-architect.com/pia/diversity
For more information contact Ann Thompson at 202-626-7305 (tel) or 202-626-7399 (fax).

September 27, 2000
"Access to Outdoor Recreation Environments"
Via distance education media including a satellite broadcast.
Web Site: http://www.indiana.edu/~nca
For questions contact NCA at 765-349-9240 (voice/tty).

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

October 19-20, 2001
Integrating Differences: Theories and Applications of Universal Design in New York City, Fashion Institute of Technology.
For guidelines, contact Dr. Desiree Koslin, at koslinde@fitsuny.edu or fax 212-217-7910.

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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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