Educational Policies or Programs

A 'Universal Design' Mentality and Culture in Development - Processes and Dynamics in Europe

Presenter(s):
Prof Hubert Froyen, PHL Department of Architecture, Belgium
Mr Luigi Biocca, CNR ITC National Research Council, Construction Technologies Institute, Rome, Italy
Mr Geza Fischl, Hungarian Society of Universal Design, Hungary
Dr Birgitta Mekibes, National Accessibility Centre, Office of the Disability Ombudsman, Sweden
Mr Marcus Ormerod, SURFACE Inclusive Design Research Centre, The University of Salford, UK

Presentation Type:
Forum (40 minutes)

Thursday
11:00 - 12:30
Rio 1
Forum

How can Universal Design be put on the professionalfs radar world-wide? What mentality and culture is needed to foster non-apartheid design? What processes and dynamics will produce full Accessibility for All, accessibility to physical structures, to social structures, to information and to communication?

Principles of Universal Design can be adopted on a global scale, but policies and strategies for implementation will have a local character. The social and economic conditions in Europe and in the USA are comparable and this makes further comparison of the implementation of the Universal Design approach in both continents interesting.

Analysis and Development of a Sustainable Universal Design Center at San Francisco State University

Presenter(s):
Mr Ricardo Gomes, USA

Presentation Type:
Project (40 minutes)

Thursday
3:30 - 4:10
Botafogo
Project

The focus and merit of this proposal will be based upon the findings from my sabbatical research with the Design and Industry Department at San Francisco State University (SFSU). The objectives of this research is to investigate and document universal design research, applications, and program development that are being conducted and implemented at various centers for universal design which are affiliated with universities in the U.S., U.K., Brazil and Argentina.

This comparative analysis and report will examine the objectives, resources and applications of these centers in respect to what distinguishes, as well as characterizes, their research and practical approaches to universal design, accessibility programs, policies and implementation.

The research take will also assess the diverse and equitable approaches to universal design that will be more responsive and specific to the inherent needs and sustainable implementation of indigenous societies, cultural values, economies of scale, resources, production, and marketability.

The results of this study will be utilized to formulate at SFSU to support the Design Center for Global Needs as a viable center for Universal Design Research, Accessibility, Education and Curriculum Development in the western region of the U.S. in relationship to neighboring regions of interest in Latin America and Pacific Rim.

Architecture for Social Justice - Building Bridges and Making Connections to More Faculty and Students

Presenter(s):
Ms Elaine Ostroff, Adaptive Environments, USA
Ms Leslie Weisman, New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA
Mr Jason Lockhart, Southern University School of Architecture, USA

Presentation Type:
Forum (40 minutes)

Thursday
3:30 - 4:20
Copacabana
Forum

Adaptive Environments met with US faculty leaders in architecture in 2002 to plan more effective ways of engaging other faculty in universal design education and in making more programs accessible to students with disabilities. This led to the Architecture for Social Justice Awards Program: Partnerships in Teaching, a strategy to reach socially conscious design faculty and students who might be open to incorporating a more universal design approach in their teaching. We welcome discussion about both the needs and opportunities to build bridges to faculty and students in different cultures. For more background on the awards program developed with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, see the Adaptive Environments website and click on Access to Design.

Beyond Bricks and Mortar: Universal Design for Learning and the Transformation of Education

Presenter(s):
Mr David Rose, CAST, USA
Mr Lucia Maldonado

Presentation Type:
Half Day Pre-Conference Intensive Session

Wednesday Afternoon
Fee: $100
Half-Day Pre-Conference Intensive Session

School buildings are increasingly accessible, but often not the curricula and learning activities that are at their core. Students with many kinds of disabilities (physical, sensory, perceptual, linguistic, and cognitive) face barriers to learning that limit their progress and success. New research on the neuroscience of learning, especially the science of individual differences, and new technologies for learning, based on digital and network technologies, provide the basis for a new field -- called Universal Design for Learning. In the U.S. this field is rapidly growing in impact -- both on educational policies and educational practices. Many examples of universally designed curricula and teaching methods are now emerging and school districts are creating an education that is not only more accessible for students with disabilities, but better for all students. This workshop will present examples of universally designed curricula, guidelines for universal design in education, exemplar national and local policies, and research results.

Culture and Arts Environments for All - Making Policy Reality

Presenter(s):
Ms Philippa Daly Smith, Disability Services Commission, Australia

Presentation Type:
Project (40 minutes)

Thursday
3:30 - 4:10
Lagoa
Project

In Western Australian over 220 Government authorities are legislatively required to have Disability Service Plans demonstrating how they are making their services accessible. The Disability Services Commission oversees this initiative. The Department of Culture and the Arts provides an excellent example of what can be achieved to create inclusive arts and cultural experiences. Significant practical improvements have been made through the work of the agency and their disability advisory committee. Initiatives include education, policy review and audits of services to identify access barriers and solutions. Theatre, art gallery, museum and library accessibility will be shown as well as projects making exhibitions accessible to people who are blind or deaf.

Designers with Disabilities at Work: Building a World Fit for People

Presenter(s):
Ms Elaine Ostroff, Adaptive Environments, USA
Ms Regina Cohen, Research Center on Accessibility and Universal Design, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Ms Taide Buenfil, Oficina de Representacion para la Promocion e Integracion Social para Personas con Discapacidad, Mexico
Mr Yoshi Kawauchi, Access Project, Japan
Mr Jorge Falcato, Camara Municipal de Lisboa, Social Affairs, Portugal
Mr Marcelo Guimaraes, Center for Universal Design, NCSU, USA

Presentation Type:
Plenary Panel (90 minutes)

Other session participants to be confirmed.

Saturday
2:30 - 4:00
Rio 1
Plenary Session

Meet with other designers with disabilities from all over the world to participate in a moderated discussion with members of the International Network of Designers with Disabilities. More than 50 designers and design students are members of the Network, interacting through an e-list. Learn how designers with disabilities are changing both design practice and design education, are influencing the universal design of products, places and information, and are encouraging younger people with disabilities to enter the design professions. Consider joining the Network. For more information, see Access to Design Professions . Interested colleagues, friends and family of Network members are also welcome.

Diffusing Universal Design Globally: Learnsites for Youth and Adult Leaders

Presenter(s):
Dr Betty Jo White, College of Human Ecology, Dept. of Apparel, Textiles & Interior Design, USA

Presentation Type:
Working Group (90 minutes)

Thursday
1:45 - 3:15
Master 2
Working Group

There are two sessions for this working group. The other session is scheduled for Friday, 9:00 - 10:30 (Master 2).

This intensive UD Introduction consists of hands-on tryouts of two "Learnsites" targeted to teenagers and their teachers and group leaders. The web-learning package is designed to prepare youth to disseminate the UD concept to the mainstream population. Based on Rogersf Adoption/Diffusion Theory, one site instructs teachers and leaders, while the other presents ten age-appropriate, diverse, interactive, and problem-solving lessons to engage youth. Developed in cooperation with the U. S. National Endowment for the Arts, both are fully accessible to people with disabilities, and could be localized to serve developing nations until they can prepare their own.

Diversity in Design: The Journal of Inclusive Design Education

Presenter(s):
Ms Beth Tauke, University at Buffalo, USA

Presentation Type:
Project (40 minutes)

Saturday
2:35 - 3:15
Flamengo
Project

Relevant contemporary design education enables students to make critically sound and socially conscious choices in complex situations. It fosters actions that: a) take the viewpoints, needs, and desires of ethe otherf into consideration; b) encourage thoughtful navigation between states, media, and disciplines; c) relate various languages, systems, and cultures; d) bridge data and knowledge; and e) broaden and deepen the comprehensibility and accessibility of our complicated multi-environments.

To address these issues, the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access has initiated a new academic journal entitled Diversity in Design: The Journal of Inclusive Design Education. This journal is a forum for in-depth and timely analysis of scholarly issues related to diversity, and, particularly, issues related to inclusive design. It focuses on the changing roles of the designer in increasingly diverse societies. Through peer-reviewed articles that examine diversity issues in design education and interviews with leading scholars/educators, the journal encourages a global community of designers and educators to create new knowledge, partnerships, and gateways to inclusive design education. The content of the journal will challenge the meanings of design in situations where traditional notions have been broken or reconfigured. It will advance the critical examination of who is doing the designing; what is being designed; where edesignf is taking place; why certain types of design are being promoted; and how these images, products, and environments are designed, produced and consumed. It will explore the ways that various diversity groups have affected the design disciplines and, in turn, the ways that these disciplines have affected various diversity groups.

The journal is a pioneering technological initiative that employs the most up-to-date information delivery technologies to ensure seamless information retrieval in a fully accessible W3C-compliant format. An invaluable resource for the multi-disciplinary academic design community, Diversity in Design is the only publication of its kind.

This presentation is the formal introduction of this new journal to the international design community.

Evolving Dialogues of Universal Design Education

Presenter(s):
Dr Lynn Gitlow, Husson College, USA
Ms Susan Camp, University of Maine, USA

Presentation Type:
Forum (40 minutes)

Thursday
11:00 - 11:40
Lagoa
Forum

Interdisciplinary educational offerings to obtain and practice the concepts of inclusive/universal design have been presented in the literature since the 1980fs. However, this practice as an active reality remains limited. Particularly in the rural state of Maine, we have found the curricula in our respective institutions lack content that addresses inclusionary human centered design. This presentation outlines an educational project that evolved from an initial discourse between an occupational therapy educator and a sculptor and printmaker. By engaging participants in a discussion of their own curricula, we hope to build on the resource of introductory level course projects.

Exhibit and Information Systems for Tourist Destinations- Universal Design and the Inclusive Interpretive Program

Presenter(s):
Ms Rebecca Fuller, RAF Models and Displays, USA
Mr William Watkins, RAF Models and Displays, USA
Ms Ellen Rubin, Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC), USA
Ms Leslie Young, The Center for Universal Design, USA
Mr Dana Stockwell, Landscape Architect, USA

Presentation Type:
Full Day Pre-Conference Intensive Session

Wednesday
Depart at 8:30am
Sambadrome
Fee: $150
Refreshments and Box Lunch Provided
Full-Day Pre-Conference Intensive Session

Most tourist sites and destinations manage to support visitor access and comfort and to some extent, orientation, very few sites have exhibits and information structures that are specifically designed to also provide visitor access to the interpretive program should that visitor be visually, auditorally or learning impaired.

This one day intensive will explore the complex process used to design multi-sensory interpretive exhibits and information systems using a real site in Rio de Janeiro.

Inclusive Design in Practice: a UK Experience

Presenter(s):
Prof Roger Coleman, The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, UK
Ms Julia Cassim, The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, UK
Mr Rama Gheerawo, The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, UK
Mr Jeremy Myerson, The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre, UK

Presentation Type:
Project (40 minutes)

Thursday
1:45 - 3:50
Rio 2
Project - Special Group Presentation

This session will showcase a UK specific, but holistic approach to universal/inclusive design in practice. The Helen Hamlyn Research Centre (HHRC) at the Royal College of Art (RCA) exposes young postgraduate design students to the theory and practice of designing in ways that make products and services accessible and attractive to the largest possible number of users. A key objective is to nurture a cadre of committed design professionals capable of effectively carrying the universal design message to industry and putting it into practice. The HHRC is also committed to spreading this ethos among the staff and students at the RCA and to the wider, international design education and research community.

It does this by working with three design communities -- students, new graduates, and professionals -- and supporting its alumni at each stage in the progression from student to professional practice with industrial contacts and projects, and with resources and design challenges. This design agenda is also communicated to industry and the public sector in ways that can stimulate demand and lead to innovation and new product development. The process is underpinned by an extensive network of ecriticalf users, who collaborate with the Centre and the three design communities with which it works.

The session will be chaired by Roger Coleman, co-director of the HHRC, and consist of 5 short (15 minute) presentations on each community interaction, followed by 5 minute Q&A sessions. The final 30 minutes will be devoted to open discussion on the practicalities of transferring methods and projects to other, unique situations.

The five presentations will cover the following topics:

• An overview of the Centre's core activities and objectives, including its action research methodology and its work with design and industry
• How young students are introduced to key ideas and processes, such as working with users, and how this gives rise to a rich source of design exemplars.
• Building bridges with industry through one-year, user-led design collaborations.
• Engaging with the professional design community, and developing supporting resources and codes of practice.
• A designer's progress from student to consultant to a leading UK/international retailer. How that company adopted an inclusive approach to design, and discovered a route to innovation and market success.

Although this is very much a UK specific initiative, many of the lessons, methods and activities outlined have the potential to be transferred to very different situations. As a consequence the final 25-30 minutes will be devoted to an open discussion of such opportunities and the session will have considerable interest to all those working in education, with design professionals and with industry.

International Educatorfs Forum

Presenter(s):
Ms Elaine Ostroff, Global Universal Design Educatorfs Network, USA
Mr Marcelo Guimaraes, Architect and Activist, Brazil
Mr Ricardo Gomes, Design and Industry Department, San Francisco State University, USA
Prof Leslie Weisman, New Jersey Institute of Architecture, USA

Presentation Type:

Sunday (all day)
On-Site at Sofitel
Fee: $75 (lunch included)
Special Post-Conference Forum

Pre-registration required.

Educators from around the world are invited to participate in the 5th International Educators Forum. The 2004 International Educatorfs Forum focuses on building and supporting local efforts by colleges and universities in Brazil and other countries with developing economies. There are two overall goals for the Forum: to infuse universal design in the professional design curriculum and to encourage the participation of students with disabilities in design education. Experienced international educators are welcome to participate in this active exchange that should enrich the teaching and learning practices of all participants. In addition, forum participants will receive information in their registration packets that will enable them to identify and engage each other during the conference prior to the Educatorfs Forum event on December 12, as well as establish ongoing interaction after the conference. The planning for the International Educator's Forum was supported by Universal Design Education Online at www.udeducation.org .

Principles of Universal Design Revisited

Presenter(s):
Mr James Mueller, J.L. Mueller, Inc., USA
Ms Elaine Ostroff, Co-Founder of Adaptive Environments; Director of the Global Universal Design Educatorfs Network, USA
Ms Laurie Ringaert, RERC on Universal Design, NC State, USA

Presentation Type:
Charrette (Half day followed by two additional sessions.)

Wednesday Afternoon
1:30 - 5:15
Copacabana
Fee: $75
Charrette/Case Study (Half-Day)

Since their creation in the United States in 1997, the 7 Principles of Universal Design have served as the gold standard for communicating, understanding and evaluating universal design. They have been widely published in many countries and translated into several languages.

The purpose of this pre-conference charette is to examine how the Principles of Universal Design are being applied to design education, practice, policies and research around the world. Participants in this charette will also explore opportunities for ongoing discourse toward broader understanding and use of the Principles in diverse cultures.

An additional working group session will be scheduled at the convenience of the participants; the findings of the Principles charette will be presented on Saturday morning, 9:00 to 11:00 at the Charette Wrap Up session, along with reports from the other charettes.

This charette will provide a unique opportunity for exchange among authors of the Principles and international experts in universal design, as well as a learning experience for participants who are newer to universal design.

Jim Mueller is an industrial designer who has worked in the field of design for people with disabilities since 1974 as an assistive technology provider, researcher, universal design consultant, and workplace accommodation specialist and instructor. His clients have included businesses, as well as government agencies, individuals with disabilities, and national disability organizations.

Jim serves on the staff or advisory boards of several Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers and chairs the Industrial Designers Society of America's Special Interest Section on Universal Design.

Promoting an Inclusive Environment in London

Presenter(s):
Ms Julie Fleck, Greater London Authority, UK

Presentation Type:
Project (40 minutes)

Friday
10:30 - 11:10
Copacabana
Project

The London Plan includes policies on inclusive design and accessible housing. The challenge is now to ensure that Londonfs 33 local planning authorities adopt and implement the policies and that developers and planning applicants embrace inclusion and help create a more accessible city. Tools have been developed to ensure understanding and adoption of inclusive design, including Supplementary Planning Guidance called Accessible London which explains the policies in more detail; the use of Access Statements in planning and building applications; a video on Lifetime Homes and the standards for wheelchair accessible housing.

The Impact of Hypermedia on Introductory Exercises about Universal Design in Academic Settings

Presenter(s):
Prof Marcelo Guimaraes, Center for Universal Design, USA

Presentation Type:
Forum (40 minutes)

Friday
10:30 - 11:10
Lagoa
Forum

This presentation is about a dissertation research in the PhD program in Design, North Carolina State University (NCSU). It provides information about an assessment of the impact of a "hypermedia perceptual simulation" (HPS) tool on outcomes of the sensitization activity of first year design students. Providing students with both visual and verbal content through an online interactive interface in a context of task development, the HPS tool will test current sensitization activities. Research will explore studentsf knowledge retention about the concept of universal design in a series of comparative tests in which HPS is used.

Universal Design & Inclusive Education in Brasil

Presenter(s):
Mrs Veronica Camisao, Centro de Vida Independente do Rio de Janeiro (CVI-Rio), Brazil
Ms Renata Mattos Eyer de Araujo, Centro de Vida Independente do Rio de Janeiro (CVI-Rio), Brazil

Presentation Type:
Forum (40 minutes)

Thursday
1:45 - 2:25
Botafogo
Forum

The Independent Living Center of Rio de Janeiro (CVI-Rio), has been working for years with the demand for accessible solutions to school buildings, and participated of the changes that have been occurring in Brasil in this field, during the last decade.

Since 1995, with the partnership of Helena Antipoff Institute, CVI-Rio developed some projects promoting the inclusive education concept, which brought to regular education classrooms many children with disabilities.

We need a detailed governmental educational program, aiming to adopt the Universal Design principals in architecture, urban design and graphic projects, to assure quality of the initiative.

User-Centered Approach to Universal Design Curricular Methodology

Presenter(s):
Mr Ricardo Gomes, Design Center for Global Needs, USA

Presentation Type:
Project (40 minutes)

Thursday
4:25 - 5:05
Rio 2
Project

This session documentats the user-centered interdisciplinary and inclusive design methodology that is utilized in the product design course at San Francisco State University. The curriculum objective is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the principles of universal and inclusive design within the context, guidelines, and objectives of responsible design. This user-centered approach involves the end-user in every phase of the design research, product analysis, and concept development.

The presentation will outline and illustrate the paradigm that is utilized in structuring an inclusive systematic approach to the programmatic considerations for a user-centered product design methodology. This paradigm integrates, as well as facilitates, the studentsf interface with interdisciplinary faculty, design professionals and community practitioners relative to accessibility, diversity, and sustainability.

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