Hi All,

I am the post-er of "Where Environmental Barriers Come From" on the
disability-research-listserv, which was cross-posted to this list.

I work in architectural field (also sometimes in custom arch'l.
woodwork, and for interior designers).... have a mobility disability &
beginnings of others, and have been independently studying Universal
Design & doing public grass-roots advocacy for it, for several years.  I
also write on UD for "The Ragged Edge" magazine  (see 11/'98 cover
story, and 3/'99), and for "The Activist", the newsletter of Disabled In
Action of Metropolitan New York, and wrote one report on it for the
"Able New York" newspaper.

Before that, I am not entirely certain, but I may have been the first
student at both the Boston Architectural Center school, and at Pratt
Institute in Brooklyn, New York, in the late 70's, (in the absence of
any UD curricula or encouragement), to, on my own, introduce UD concerns
into my course-work.  (In one instance, I got into a whole lot of
trouble for it.)

Areas of interest:  Eventual teaching of UD and arch'l. detailing.  Lack
of enforcement of Codes.  Design for real needs, not just meeting
minimum requirements of accessibility Codes.  "Real world"
Design-Construction Management issues, about how to keep others from
stopping a project from being accessible.  Detailing as in integral part
of design & the designer's skills, .... not a bothersome thing that
"someone else" takes care of, after the design's done.    One of my
specialised areas is -- many years of experience as a "senior detailer"
custom architectural woodwork, and detailing related materials that
often are mixed in, with it.  (Metalwork, stone, glass, plastics,
fabric...)   Project management including during construction, for the
non-"standard" kind of designs, which contractors are likely to botch
up.  

When I work for contractors, I'm always the only one one in the office
who knows how to talk with designers; and when I work in a designer's
office, I'm usually the only one who can really talk with contractors.  

Have also done a bit of "design-build", and some independent research
and lecturing in owner-designed-and-built rural housing.

Twice in conversations, on 2 separate occasions, with 2 different
architects, who do not know each other - - - - - I have briefly
described my recent studies in Universal Design & it's advocacy.... and
I had the eerie experience, of hearing both of them, respond with
precisely the same words.  (Bear in mind, that I have a painful mobility
disability, that is not yet  "visible", at least  to the non-observant
stranger.)  Both architects asked in astonishment -- "WHY DO YOU CARE
ABOUT THIS?"

So, today, I have finally found a bunch of architects, who will not ask
me that question!

Jim Davis



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