Global Universal Design Educators 
Monthly Online News

Produced and distributed monthly by Elaine Ostroff In cooperation with the Adaptive Environments Center, the Center for Universal Design and the Trace R&D Center; with support from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research

Volume 4 Number 3, March 2002

Contents

• Editor's Note
• News from the Global Network
  • AUSTRALIA
    • International Federation on Ageing's 6th Global Conference Extends Deadline
  • BELGIUM
    • Belgian Project and Conference on Universal Design Education
  • CANADA
    • Post Occupancy Evaluation in Healthcare Settings
  • NORTH AMERICA
    • The Wood Design Awards
  • UNITED KINGDOM
    • Resources for Inclusion in Higher Education
  • UNITED STATES
    • IDEA Center Publishes Universal Design New York
    • MIG Publications - Meeting of the Minds
    • Post Occupancy Evaluation in Senior Housing
    • Trace Center EZ™ Access in Accessible Entry System for Apartments
• Global Universal Design Educator's Network e-mail list
• Calendar
• Adding your information, questions to the Online News

EDITOR'S NOTE

This issue highlights some excellent new resources: guides to support inclusion in higher education from the United Kingdom, universal design guidelines for New York City, and a guide to successful meeting facilitation. There are opportunities: conference participation in Australia and a design education forum in Belgium. Practicing architects will find an opportunity to participate in a North American wood design competition - and we hope that you'll urge architect who use a universal design approach to enter. You'll learn about two Canadian and US occupational therapists' experiences in post occupancy evaluations and how the Trace Center's EZ access work is used for apartment entrances.

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 is 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>.

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NEWS FROM THE GLOBAL NETWORK

AUSTRALIA

International Federation on Ageing's 6th Global Conference Extends Deadline

Maturity matters, the International Federation on Ageing's 6th Global Conference to be held in Perth from October 27-30, 2002, has extended the call for abstracts until April 19, 2002. See: http://www.congresswest.com.au/IFA/abstracts.html for information on themes and the submission process.

The conference website notes: With the theme 'Maturity Matters', the conference offers a dynamic and interactive program that will challenge the myths around ageing and inspire the development of positive strategies to support our ageing populations, now and in the future. This conference will offer an international perspective of ageing trends and issues. It will draw together people from developed and developing countries to discuss what the future holds for older people and develop strategies to better meet their needs.

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BELGIUM

Belgian Project and Conference on Universal Design Education

This UNIVERSAL DESIGN EDUCATION FORUM with a focus on Design for All, will take place on Friday May 17 in the 'Flemish Forum for Knowledge and Culture' of the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts, Academy House, Hertogsstraat 1, 1000 Brussels. The forum is part of a new Belgian program that responds to the February 15, 2001 resolution passed by the Council of Europe. 'Resolution Res AP(2001)1,' 'on the introduction of the principles of universal design into the curricula of all occupations working on the built environment'. http://cm.coe.int/ta/res/resAP/2001/2001xp1.htm.

Three Flemish Schools of architecture in the northern part of Belgium, the Departments of Design Sciences at HA (Antwerp), and the Departments of Architecture at WENK (Ghent/Brussels) and PHL (Hasselt/Diepenbeek) submitted a proposal to solicit project funding from the Ministry of Flanders 'Equal Opportunities in Flanders,' and were awarded funding to provide a framework for structural integration of the principles of universal design in the curriculum of the various programs for design. The forum will introduce their work, and other work in Europe. Hubert Froyen, architectural educator at Hasselt/Diepenbeek explains:

'Universal Design (USA) or 'Design for All', as it is called in Europe, takes an integral and inclusive approach to meet all users of the (wo)man-made environment and differs quite fundamentally from earlier concepts about design for specific target groups, known as 'Design for Special Needs.' To introduce the concept, he quotes the former Chairman of the US National Endowment for the Arts:

'The concept of Universal Design goes beyond the mere provision of special features for various segments of the population. Instead it emphasises a creative approach that is more inclusive, one that asks at the outset of the design process how a product, graphic communication, building, or public space can be both aesthetically pleasing and functional for the greatest number of users. Designs resulting from this approach serve a wider array of people, including individuals with temporary or permanent disabilities, parents with small children, and everyone whose abilities change with age'. Jane Alexander, Chairman National Endowment for the Arts, 1995.

The program includes: 'Strategies for Teaching Universal Design', Elaine Ostroff, Boston, USA; 'European Institute for Design and Disability' EIDD Education Network,' Päivi Tahkokallio, Helsinki, Finland; 'Industrial Design for All,' Lilian Henze, Amsterdam, Netherlands; 'Universal Design Education in Sweden,' Jan Paulsson, Chalmers, Sweden; and 'Universal Design Education in

Belgium,'Asaert, Dujardin, and Froyen, Belgium. The Forum will include the official foundation of the EIDD-Belgium National Membership Organisation.

English will be the official language of the contact forum.

The European Institute for Design and Disability (EIDD) will hold its annual general meeting AGM 2002, after the conclusion of the May 17 Belgian Scientific Contact Forum UD-Education, in Brussels on Saturday May 18. Following the EIDD annual meeting, a European 'Design for All Education Workshop' is scheduled. Interested professionals can also participate.

Pre-registration has begun for people who are interested in attending; they will automatically receive further information by April 15. Attendance costs for the contact forum are tentatively estimated as 50 Euro per person. One can register by mail or email: universaldesign@archb.sintlucas.wenk.be.

Mailing address: UD Education Project, p/a Paleizenstraat 65-67, 1030 Brussels, Belgium.

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CANADA

Post Occupancy Evaluation in Healthcare Settings

Laurie Ringaert from Canada sends word of a new study. 'Dave Rapson and I at the Universal Design Institute are just completing a post-occupancy evaluation research study of a long-term care facility using the principles of universal design in data gathering, data analysis and in recommendations. We conducted focus groups of staff and residents as well as a mini-audit and walkthrough. The results show the problems of a relatively new facility as well as recommendations from the user groups. The report should be finished by end of March. We will be presenting the results at the Healthcare design Conference in San Francisco in April.' For more information, contact Laurie Ringaert at: email: <ringaer@mts.net>. Her note to the Universal Design Educator's List stimulated a response from Shoshana Shamberg; see below in the United States section.

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NORTH AMERICA

The Wood Design Awards

The Wood Design Awards invites entries to the 2002 program, the only combined program for US and Canadian architects honoring design excellence in all types of buildings and interiors in which wood has significant use. The Wood Design Awards publicly acknowledge the importance of architecture to our society.

In 2001, separate U.S. and Canadian Programs that had been offered by the American Wood Council and Canadian Wood Council, respectively, were combined under the direction of Wood Design & Building and Wood Le Bois magazines to expand the scope and variety of entries to the Program, and to broaden its publicity.

The Wood Design Awards is an established means for architects to gain recognition for their work. The 2001 Program received 314 entries, and awarded 16 projects. We invite your entries to The Wood Design Awards, 2002 Program with the goal of publicizing design excellence. For detailed information on the categories, submission requirements, schedule, and registration, see: <http://www.woodmags.com/> Entries must be received no later than Friday, May 31, 2002.

Distinguished juries
A major factor in the success of The Wood Design Awards has been the willingness of noted architects to serve on the juries. The list from past years includes: Charles W. Moore, FAIA; William Turnbull, Jr.,FAIA; Andrea Leers, FAIA; E. Fay Jones, FAIA; Joseph Esherick, FAIA; Graham Gund, FAIA; Peter Forbes, FAIA; Peter Q. Bohlin, FAIA; Jacquelyn Robertson, FAIA; Cynthia Weese, FAIA, John Dixon, FAIA, and others equally renowned.

Canadian jurors have included such eminent architects as: Arthur Erickson, Patricia Patkau, Ron Thom, Dan Hanganu, Roger D'Astous, Brigette Shim and Peter Cardew to name a few. Consequently, the quality of the projects submitted for consideration has remained high.

Publicity of winning entries
The magazines Wood Design & Building [U.S.] and Wood Le Bois [Canada] will publish special awards issues of the winning entries in the Fall [September] 2002 issues (further details on the website).

The Wood Design Awards Program will build on the success of the 2001 Program to heighten awareness of the importance of architecture and the inspired use of wood, the only renewable building material.

Wood Design Awards Program Schedule 2002

• March: Distribute Call for Entries
• May: May 31 deadline to receive entries
• June: June 21 judging

Questions to Don Griffith, Awards Coordinator at 1800 520 6281, ext.304 or <dgriffith@janam.net>.

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UNITED KINGDOM

Resources for Inclusion in Higher Education

The Geography Discipline Network (GDN) of the UK announces the availability of a series of guides to promote inclusion in higher education. The GDN Guides, Learning Support for Disabled Students Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities, are now available for downloading in both pdf and rtf versions on the GDN pages of the University of Gloucestershire's Web site at: <http://www.glos.ac.uk/el/philg/gdn/disabil/index.htm>. Thanks to Ruth Morrow of Sheffield University for this information.

The Preface to the series notes: 'Awareness of the need to develop inclusive practices, which provide equal opportunities for disabled students in various parts of their courses, is beginning to spread through Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the UK. This has been stimulated by the publication of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) (2000) Code of Practice - Students with Disabilities and the extension of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) to education through the Special Education Needs and Disability Act (2001).

This series of guides to providing support to disabled students undertaking fieldwork and related activities is the main output from a project funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) Improving Provision for Disabled Students Funding Programme.

The advantage of focusing on fieldwork is that many of the issues faced by disabled students in higher education are magnified in this form of teaching and learning. If the barriers to full participation by everyone can be reduced or overcome it is likely that our awareness of the obstacles to their full participation in other learning activities will be heightened and the difficulties of overcoming the barriers will be lessened.'

There are six guides available:

• Issues in Providing Learning Support for Disabled Students Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities
  
  
• Providing Learning Support for Students with Mobility Impairments Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities
  
  
• Providing Learning Support for Blind or Visually Impaired Students Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities
  
  
• Providing Learning Support for Deaf or Hearing Impaired Students Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities
  
  
• Providing Learning Support for Students with Mental Health Difficulties Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities
  
  
• Providing Learning Support for Students with Hidden Disabilities and Dyslexia Undertaking Fieldwork and Related Activities

Professor Mick Healey, Director of the GDN asks people who use the guides to give feedback, 'We would be pleased to receive details of your experiences and how you feel they could be improved. The National Subject Centre for Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences is committed to keeping the guides up to date and advising on their use.'

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UNITED STATES

IDEA Center Publishes Universal Design New York

The City of New York now has a new guide called Universal Design New York, produced by the staff of the IDEA Center, University at Buffalo. Gary S. Danford and Beth Tauke were the editors. The extensive guide is available as a free download in both PDF and HTML formats at: http://design6.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/publications/udnypub.htm. Print copies are available from the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities, 100 Gold St. 2nd floor, NY, NY, 10038 or call 646 328 6230 or tty, 212 788 1838, fax 212 999 7058. They note that these phone numbers are subject to change following the September 11 disaster.

The well-illustrated guide shows numerous examples of universal design in urban settings. It builds on the performance-based definitions of the Principles of Universal Design first created in 1995 by the national group assembled at the Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State University. Beth Tauke has created a new system of pictograms for the Principles, and these graphic elements are used throughout the new guide to help clarify the various criteria. The book is organized both by major functional systems as well as by building types.

In the preface, Catherine Paradiso, Executive Director, Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities and Kenneth R. Holden, Commissioner Department of Design and Construction, introduce the book. 'Universal design aspires to create products and environments that are usable by all of us. Not only can universal design help our own citizens but also the almost 40 million visitors who come here every year.

This book was developed to help the community of people who develop the City's real estate and infrastructure learn about universal design. When implemented properly it removes many of the problems associated with trying to meet requirements of both the NYC building code and the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act. In fact, when designing from this paradigm, some regulations are met with ease. For example, a pedestrian pathway that is gradually sloped from the curb to the entrance eliminates the need for a ramp. Another example would be installing automatic doors instead of manual doors. Distributing and integrating accessible seats throughout a theater is yet another. These examples demonstrate how access and regulations come together to create a better environment for everyone when using universal design criteria.

This book contains many examples that make accessibility easier for the general population. When all aspects of designing in a space are universal, everything becomes easier for everyone. Children, people who have learning/cognitive, vision or hearing impairments, people who use wheeled mobility devices, senior citizens, people of short stature, parents carrying children or packages - we all benefit from universal design…'

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MIG Publications - Meeting of the Minds

This is to introduce you to a fine book, 'Meeting of the Minds: a guide to successful meeting facilitation' that just came into my hands. Some readers of the Online News may have been privileged to participate in one or more meetings facilitated by Daniel Iacofano of Moore Iacofano Goltsman Inc., (MIG) of Berkeley, California. His gifted graphic facilitation methods have enabled the development of visions, action plans, strategic plans, and conflict resolution with widely divergent groups around the world. He often gets called on 'when a situation or organization is teetering toward disaster and needs intense re-focusing and consensus building.' He and the folks at MIG have skillfully packaged the experience of his 25 years and over 14,000 meetings into a very visual, practical, and engaging book. I am biased - his facilitation has been central to much of my work.

'This book is advice from the trenches, full of useful processes, tools and case studies to make your meetings dynamic, effective and successful. In fact, your meetings will be the ones people actually look forward to attending!' If your idea of meeting hell is to break up into small groups, you probably have not been at a meeting facilitated by Daniel.

Whether you want to help colleagues learn the basics of figuring out whether a meeting is necessary and/or how to plan and do the crucial follow-up of an effective meeting you'll want this book. You may not aspire to the finer points of the 'wallgraphic' that captures the group voice, or the '8-magic marker hold' but this book has well-organized strategies to make all meetings work. It succinctly addresses the key elements of the initial planning, the detailed logistics that make or break a meeting, the essential qualities of facilitators, how to handle group dynamics and the difficult participant, to the art of graphic recording.

It includes case studies with issues that you will recognize: community planning and development in several cities and towns, organizational development in a state agency, leadership in a multi-national corporation, a design workshop to revitalize a community with a polluted river, community involvement around farm worker housing, and a working international summit conference to address the needs of urban children.

There is a related website www.meetingoftheminds.com. To buy the book, see: <http://www.migcom.com/products/booklist.html>.

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Post Occupancy Evaluation in Senior Housing

Shoshana Shamberg an occupational therapist from Baltimore, MD. responded to the Canadian note about Post Occupancy Evaluation, with her recent experience. 'I just completed an evaluation of a client living in senior citizen housing built within the last few years. I was so surprised to see the little things not addressed that make life really easier for the seniors. Here are a few:

• Knobs (not lever handles) on the bathroom sink faucet controls;
  
  
• Door knobs (not lever handles) throughout the apartment;
  
  
• Padded, high pile carpet already warping and only a couple of years old, retaining lots of dirt and dust (many clients have respiratory problems);
  
  
• Thermostat mounted too high and very hard to read and manipulate;
  
  
• Fixed closet rods and shelves that are too high;
  
  
• Narrow bathroom door opening into the windowless bathroom with no emergency call system;
  
  
• Threshold on entrance to apartment door and bathroom with a ½ to 3 inches height with very sharp edge which caught the wheels on her walker and her foot;
  
  
• Heavy self-closing door to her apartment as required for fire codes but very difficult and actually dangerous for this frail women with a walker to open and access;
  
  
• Lighting that is difficult to use and bulbs cannot be changed by the resident. Also special spot bulbs are required but not supplied by building manager, toggle switches in certain areas that were hard for her to use and hard to see as they were the same color as the wall;
  
  
• Kitchen with deep cabinets and high cupboards-no Adaptability;
  
  
• No bathroom storage (just a high, small medicine cabinet over the sink and towel racks that were loosely attached;
  
  
• All common use areas and entrances to the building were totally accessible and designed well. So this is considered to be a well designed project by the standards of the architects. I am amazed that with all the PR about universal design and assisted living this could still be happening. What happened to the interior of the apartment'?
  
  
• Contact Shoshana Shamberg at shoshamberg@yahoo.com.

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Trace Center EZ™ Access in Accessible Entry System for Apartments

The Trace website highlights success stories where the EZ™ Access system is in use, such as the accessible entry system. It includes links for more details. The following is excerpted from the Viking website at http://www.vikingelectronics.com/ada.

Viking Electronics and the City of San Francisco have taken the lead in developing an apartment door entry system that provides equal access to all apartment visitors. The AES-2000 apartment door entry system incorporates both written and verbal operating instructions, as well as written and verbal tenant directories. The visual display uses one half inch black characters against a backlit green background.

Blind users will find the AES-2000 simple to operate and extremely user friendly. The system incorporates the familiar etched tactile diamond shaped EZ Help® system developed by the Trace Center at the University of Wisconsin. Pressing the diamond button provides easy to understand verbal instructions. The voice instructions are professionally recorded with clear diction and played at an easy to follow cadence. As the user presses each button, the voice announces that particular button's use and operation. Etched tactile up and down buttons allow the user to scroll backwards and forwards through the tenant directory, first by letter of the alphabet, and then by individual tenant name. Each tenant's name is read audibly as the user scrolls.

For more success stories and background on EZ™ Access visit the Trace site at: http://www.trace.wisc.edu/world/kiosks/ez/ez_success.html

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Global Universal Design Educator's Network e-mail list

The Trace Research and Development Center is the host of the educator’s email list. Note that the email list and the Online News are two distinct features. The list is interactive, unlike the Online News that you receive monthly. If you want to be part of an interactive e-mail exchange with other people who are interested in teaching and learning about universal design education, you must subscribe as explained below. Once you subscribe you will receive directions for how to use the list.

To subscribe send an email message to <listproc@trace.wisc.edu>, and include the following in the body of the message: 

• subscribe UNIVERSALDESIGN-ED 

• your first name 

• your last name.

The purpose of the list is explained more fully at this link:

<http://trace.wisc.edu:8080/guest/info/UNIVERSALDESIGN-ED>  

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CALENDAR

April 15, 2002: Abstracts due for participation in International Conference for Universal Design in Yokohama, Japan. See <http://www.ud2002.org/index-e.html>.

April 22, 2002: Minneapolis, MN. 'Flexible, Accessible Interfaces, More Usable by Everyone,' one day tutorial at the Computer and Human Interface conference.' Gregg Vanderheiden and Shawn Lawton Henry are co-instructors. See the conference web site: <http://www.acm.org/sigchi/chi2002/>.

May 15, 2002: Student entries for the IDSA/ Library of Congress National Library Service are due at the IDSA offices by 5:00 p.m. EST. See: <http://www.idsa.org>

 and click on Digital Talking Book Playback Machine Competition.

May 17, 2002: Brussels, Belgium. UNIVERSAL DESIGN EDUCATION: Scientific Contact Forum, at the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. Sponsored by the Departments of Design Sciences at HA (Antwerp), and the Departments of Architecture at WENK (Ghent/Brussels) and PHL (Hasselt/Diepenbeek). Contact: <universaldesign@archb.sintlucas.wenk.be>.

May 18, 2002: Brussels, Belgium. Design for All EDUCATION WORKSHOP, sponsored by the European Institute of Design and Disability at the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts. Contact Paivi Tahkokallio at: <paivi.tahkokallio@stakes.fi>.

June 8, 2002: Wanchai, Hong Kong. Challenges and Opportunities of an Ageing Population, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exposition Center. Contact: <hwbresearch@hwb.gov.hk>.

June 17-18, 2002: Tampere, Finland. 'Easytex' - 1st International Conference on Clothing and Textiles for Disabled and Elderly People. See: <http://www.vtt.fi/ket/new/easytex_2002.htm>.

June 27- July 2, 2002: Minneapolis, MN. RESNA annual meeting includes Universal Design Research Symposium on 29th June, plus pre-conference intensives and concurrent sessions on universal design. See: <http://www.resna.org/>.

July 17-20, 2002: San Jose, CA. IDSA National Education Conference, at San Jose State University. See: <http://www.idsa.org/whatsnew/conference02/education/index.htm>

July 20-23, 2002: Monterey, CA. COLLIDEoscope- Clashing Patterns of Harmony and Grace, IDSA 2002 Conference. See: <http://www.idsa.org/whatsnew/conference02/index.htm>.

July 22 - 25, 2002: 'Designing for Usability, Flexibility, & Accessibility,' in Madison, Wisconsin. See: <http://trace.wisc.edu/training/>.

August 8-11, 2002: Washington, DC. ADA/504 Coordinators and Accessibility Managers in the Cultural Arts Conference, at the Kennedy Center. Contact Betty Siegel at: <access@kennedy-center.org>.

September 5-7, 2002: Common Ground: Design Research Society International Conference at Brunel University's Design campus at Runnymede, London, near Heathrow Airport. See: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/depts/des/drs/.

October 18-19, 2002: Design + Technology + Users: Design that Works for Everyone, at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, RI. Co-sponsored by Adaptive Environments and RISD. For more information, Lenie Kuit, <lkuit@adaptenv.org>.

October 27-30, 2002: 6th Global Conference on Maturity Matters, Perth, Western Australia. Sponsored by the International Federation on Ageing. Contact <IFA@congresswest.com.au>.

November 9-12, 2002: International Society for Gerontechnology's 4th International Conference on Gerontechnology at the Wyndham Miami Beach Resort Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. See <http://psy.fsu.edu/~isg/>.

November 30 - December 4, 2002: Yokohama, Japan. International Conference for Universal Design at the International Convention Center and Yokohama Grand InterContinental Hotel. See <http://www.ud2002.org/index-e.html>.

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Adding your information, questions to the Online News: 

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