Produced monthly by the Adaptive Environments Center, Boston, MA, USA under a contract with the Center for Universal Design, School of Design, North Carolina State University, NC, USA.

Volume I, Number 3  -   March 1999

Contents:

• Editor’s Note
• News from the Global Network
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • USA
• 5th Educator’s Forum
• Global Interactive E-Mail, List Serve update
• Adding your information, questions to the Online News

EDITOR’S NOTE:

Included in this issue are events that are scheduled in the very near future. They are listed to provide you with the resource information, and links to ongoing work. We welcome local, regional, national and international news - about the teaching, the learning and the implications of universal design.

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From Austria:

• Luigi Biocca of Italy tells us about an exhibition on kitchen design competition 'Cooking without handicap' will take place in Wien (Austria) during March 20-28 at Bauen & Wohnen Exhibition, Pavillion no. 10. Watch for a report from Mr. Biocca on the exhibition in a future Online News.

  You can avail further information at:
  http://www.pesaro.com/dolcini/ and e-mail: dolcini@pesaro.com

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From Belgium:

• CIB Working Commission W098 is hosting an International Conference: INTELLIGENT AND RESPONSIVE BUILDINGS in Brugge(Belgium), March 29-30, 1999 PROGRAMME

Keynote lectures:

1. Building Construction on the verge of the new millennium by C.De Pauw, BBRI, Brussels, B
2. Changing the way we live and work in a new building environment by F.Garas, consulting engineer, UK
3. European Commission research and technical development in the field of smart home technologies for the disabled and elderly by I.Ambrose, European Commission TIDE UNIT, Brussels, B
4. New developments in construction of government buildings in the Netherlands by J.A.J.Huijbregts, Ministry of Housing Special Planning and the Environment, NL
5. Accessibility of (public) buildings for elderly and handicapped people by L.Helsen, Center for Accessibility, Province of Antwerpen, B
6. Intelligent buildings and demand side management by A.Demouselle, Electrabel, B

There will be oral presentations on the following topics:

1. Intelligent and responsive buildings
2. Accessibility of buildings for elderly and handicapped people
3. International inventory of Best Practices in the field of intelligent and responsive buildings
4. Creating the productive workplace
5. Integration of building automation in the intelligent building
6. Demand side management in the intelligent building

For more information: visit the conference web page: http://www.ti.kviv.be/conf/buil.htm
Organiser : Technologisch Instituut, Desguinlei 214, B - 2018 Antwerpen
tel.+32 3 216 09 96. Fax.+32 3 216 06 89
e-mail: buil@conferences.ti.kviv.be

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From Canada:

• Fourth Global Conference on Ageing - Universal Design Track
  September 5-9, 1999 Montréal, Québec, Canada

The Fourth Global Conference of the International Federation on Ageing will present a special Universal Design Track: an opportunity to learn about a movement that promises to re-shape the face of the globe in the 21st Century. This historic event will be the first opportunity for many ageing organizations around the world to learn about Universal Design — the process of designing products and environments that can be easily used by all people throughout their life-span. International experts in universal design will make keynote and workshop presentations.

The key to effective Universal Design is the dialog between designers and users - or people who represent them. This conference will give attendees the opportunity to be a part of that dialog. Professionals from design and aging will come together to discuss examples, problems and solutions that create communities, facilities and products that will make a better world for all generations, today and tomorrow.

Keynote Speakers: Jim Sandhu, professor at the University of Northumbria, UK, past president of the European Institute for Design and Disability and John Salmen, publisher of the Universal Design Newsletter, USA, will open the track of workshops on Information Technology, Housing, Kitchens and Bathrooms, Vision, Packaging, Consumer Products, User Involvement in the Design Process, Public Transportation, and Urban Design.

Although not included on the IFA website discussion of the conference, a brochure describing the Universal Design Track is available by contacting the Fourth Global Conference: Veronique Kerjean, vkerjean@jpdl.com. General conference information is at http:// www.ifa-fiv.org or by calling 514 287-1070.

The International Federation on Ageing was founded in December 1973 to serve as an international advocate for the ageing, linking over 100 IFA associations in 50 countries around the globe that represent or serve older persons at the grassroots level. The federation works toward achieving the well-being of elderly people ‘throughout the world and provides an international forum for engaging the issues and problems associated with growing old. The IFA also makes available the experience and expertise of practitioners to countries around the globe who wish to develop services for the elderly.

A non-profit organization, the IFA enjoys Category 1 consultative status with the UN and has been a major supporter of programs relating to the International Plan of Action on Aging. The world headquarters of the IFA are located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

• The University of Manitoba announces a conference:

Universal Design in the City: Beyond 2000
Dates: September 30 - October 2, 1999 inclusive
Location: the Sheraton Hotel, Winnipeg, MB CANADA

For more information, contact: Susan Shanley, Conference Coordinatorc/o the Faculty of ArchitectureUniversity of Manitoba200 Architecture II Bldg.Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 CANADATelephone: 204-474-6801Fax: 204-474-7533email: pparch@cc.umanitoba.ca

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From the United Kingdom:

• Sandra Manley, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK wrote:

Congratulations to all involved in the setting up and implementing the network. I look forward to hearing news from colleagues and re- establishing the wonderful post conference euphoria that followed the New York. For me the enthusiasm generated resulted in a change of direction. I resigned from my post as UG Programme Director with responsibility for our 15 undergraduate courses so that I could spend more time on research, writing and other activities associated with Universal Design.

She included the following report, Creating An Accessible Public Realm:

The attention of many people working to secure a more accessible built environment for everyone is focused on achieving access to individual buildings. The spaces between buildings; the streets, footpaths, squares, parks and open spaces that make up the public realm are often forgotten. Research undertaken at the University of the West of England, which involved asking people with experience of the disabling nature of the built environment for their priorities, indicated that the public realm should be given more attention.

To many people, such as wheelchair users, parents with small children or people with sensory impairments, the barriers in the public realm can be insurmountable. Furthermore, If we are serious about trying to reduce the numbers of people using the car to get to the nearest shop and thus help to cut pollution levels, then the walk in the public realm has to be made safe, attractive, legible and accessible to all.

With this in mind, a project in Bristol has focused on the development of an audit technique that has been used to identify all the factors that limit the use of the public realm. Working in partnership with the City Council, Fairhurst transport consultants of Worcester and with the contribution of disabled consultants, the project has mapped the barriers to access that exist on key pedestrian routes in Bristol City centre. Students from the University, working in inter-disciplinary groups, were closely involved in the audit activity and helped to conduct a parallel pedestrian perception study.

The audit information, which is now available for use by the City Council, has been entered into a GIS layer. It will be used to feed into the development control decision making process, to improve signage and street furniture design and to justify bids for funding for improvement works from central government. It will also provide useful information to facilitate the incremental removal of barriers when routine highway maintenance takes place.

It is a small step to take, but it has the advantage of breaking the mammoth task of improving access to the public realm into manageable components. The experience gained in the Partnership between practitioners, disabled people and academics since the original work commenced in 1994 has also proved to be valuable educationally.

In the words of students who recently completed the audit: ‘Conducting the access audit has given me a greater awareness of the problems encountered by people on our streets everyday. I find myself appraising pedestrian routes and commenting on the state of crossings; these things are seen in a different light.’

It is hoped that the students will ‘think access’ in their future work and contribute to the creation of an accessible and legible city.

• Jim Sandhu, Professor, University of Northumbria sent information on 'A Smartcard for Life: making it work' Event, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, 15-16 March 1999.

As part of the DISTINCT Digital Sites Project, I would like to invite you to participate in an event entitled 'A Smartcard for Life : making it work' which is to be held in the Civic Centre in the City Centre of Newcastle upon Tyne on 15-16th March 1999.

The event will discuss key issues regarding integration of services and the deployment of Smartcard technology, with a particular emphasis on how integrated systems can be implemented on a sustainable basis. Delegates will have the opportunity to explore possibilities and network towards 5th Framework Programme projects.

If you would like to attend please register online as soon as possible, as places are limited to 150 attendees. You can register at: http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/distweb.nsf

Further details on DISTINCT are available at http://www.distinct.org.uk/. An excerpt from that website follows:

DISTINCT - the Project DISTINCT brings together many key developments in the EU's telematics applications programme through the enhancement and integration of numerous services for the citizen that have been developed in previous EU funded telematics projects. DISTINCT uses the platforms of a citizen's smart card and multi-media delivery systems to achieve this integration. The applications that are deployed in the sites are wide and varied and in particular with special reference to the sectors of elderly and disabled, transport and rural and urban telematics.

The project has five test sites in the following cities or regions: Newcastle upon Tyne (UK), Lapland, Espoo and Vantaa (Finland), Region of Zeeland (the Netherlands), City of Torino (Italy), City of Thessaloniki (Greece).

The DISTINCT smart card is part of an integrated system including:

• The internet
• Cable TV networks
• Site intranets
• On-street kiosks
• ATMs
• Broadband communications
• A generic DISTINCT smart card reader
• Other city/regional networks and services

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From the USA:

• Adaptive Environments Center is hosting a colloquium on the occasion of its 20th anniversary on Saturday, April 10, 1999 at the Boston Computer Museum. The colloquium will include provocative dialogue on making the world fit for all people. Speakers include Leslie Kanes Weisman, author of Discrimination by Design and Sally Bloom Saddiqi, creator of the United Nations’ Habitat strategic plan for sustainable development. For information about Adaptive Environments, see the website at http://www.adaptenv.org or contact Michael DiLorenzo at mdilorenzo@adaptenv.org

• The Boston Architectural Center is sponsoring Fit for People, a lecture series on universal design. The Spring 1999 Interior Design Department Lecture Series was developed in collaboration with Adaptive Environments Center. The aim of this lecture series is to promote the integration of universal design principles into the larger framework of designing the built environment. The schedule is as follows:

Wednesday 24 March - Life in the City
William L. Lebovich, architectural historian, photographer; author of America’s City Halls and Design for Dignity and Valerie Fletcher, Executive Director, Adaptive Environments Center; co-chair, Designing for the 21^st Century II, an International Conference on Universal Design.

Wednesday 28 April - Housing for Baby Boomers and their Families
Edward Steinfeld, Director, Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access, School of Architecture and Planning, State University of New York, Buffalo and John Zeisel, author, Inquiry by Design; President, Hearthstone Alzheimer’s Care.

Wednesday 12 May - Children and Learning
Robin Moore, Author, Natural Learning - Creating Environments for Nature’s Way of Teaching; president, International Association of the Child’s Right to Play; professor of landscape architecture, School of Design, North Carolina State University and David Rose, Co-Executive Director, Center for Applied Special Technology, Peabody, Massachusetts.

For more information contact Sally Levine, Director, Interior Design Department, Boston Architectural Center, 617-262-5000 x 219 or email levine@the-bac.edu.

• California State University, Northridge (CSUN) organizes a huge, annual, international conference called "Technology and Persons with Disabilities" - "Where Assistive Technology Meets the Information Age"™ . Much of the material has disability specific focus. Some is very much in the spirit and direction of universal design. The 1999 conference will be held March 15 - 20, 1999 at the Hilton Los Angeles Airport and Los Angeles Airport Marriott Hotels. It is sponsored by the Center on Disabilities, Harry J. Murphy, Ed.D., Founder and Director. The Proceedings are online, and are a great resource. The conference website is: http://www.csun.edu/cod/conf99/program/. The CSUN conference is supported in part by a grant from Pacific Bell Foundation.

At the conference, the Trace Center for Research and Development provides an important demonstration of their work in the CURBCUTS ROOM. Gregg Vanderheiden, the Director of the Trace Center introduced the term Electronic Curbcuts in 1982 to identify communication access solutions that are useful to all users. The description of the CURBCUTS ROOM states:

As the Internet and public information systems (such as touchscreen-based kiosks and ATMs) continue their explosive growth, access to such information remains a critical and urgent issue for those with sensory, cognitive, or physical disabilities. As part of an ongoing effort to promote universal access, the Trace R&D Center is sponsoring this special resource and demonstration room at CSUN '99.

GET YOUR HANDS ON . . .

• Exciting Accessible Web Page Designs
• Accessible Touchscreen-Based Kiosk Systems
• Web Accessibility Guidelines
• Captioning & Descriptive Video

• Trace Research and Development Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison is an extraordinary source for in-depth information on a range of universal design issues in information technology and telecommunications. They are valued colleagues in all efforts to create more universally usable environments, products and information. Their website is at: http://www.trace.wisc.edu/. Following is an excerpt from their introductory page on universal design, at: http://www.trace.wisc.edu/world/gen_ud.html. The page includes links to Universal Design, Principles & Guidelines.

The excerpt: Why Do It? Understanding the Population

People who could benefit from more universal designs include many both with and without disabilities. In some cases, people may experience difficulty in using products purely as a result of the environment or an unusual circumstance. Beneficiaries of universal design include:

• People in a noisy shopping mall who cannot hear a kiosk
• People who are driving their car who must operate their radio or phone without looking at it
• People who left their glasses in their room
• People who are getting older
• People with disabilities
• Almost anyone

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UPDATE ON THE NEXT EDUCATOR’S FORUM:

The preliminary date for the 5^th Universal Design Education Project Forum is Sunday, June 18, 2000, following the general conference sessions of Designing for the 21^st Century II. The international planning committee is in place and beginning to conceptualize a highly interactive session, to keep the Educator’s Forum at the strategic level (IE. which strategies work, and which don't, for different situations).

We hope that many people who are teaching universal design will submit proposals for the general conference, so that their specific information and outcomes will be discussed during the conference. The Educator’s Forum schedule following the conference can build on this shared knowledge.

If you have issues that you think should be considered during the Educator’s Forum, please send your comments to Elaine Ostroff at elaine@ostroff.org. I will forward to the committee. You’ll hear directly from them in later issues of the Online News.

The overall dates of Designing for the 21^st Century II, An International Conference on Universal Design are: June 14-18, 2000 in Providence, Rhode Island. Conference sponsors are Adaptive Environments Center and the Center for Universal Design, School of Design, North Carolina State University. The Call for Proposals will be on the conference website: http://www.adaptenv.org/21century/ and is also being mailed/distributed in March, 1999.

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NEWS FROM YOUR SCHOOL/ORGANIZATION/COMPANY IS WELCOME!

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

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Acknowledgments: The Global Universal Design Educator’s Network and the Global Universal Design Educators Online News is produced with support from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, of the US Department of Education.

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