Hi all
I received this and thought this might interest some of you out there.
marcus
ArchVoices, an online weekly newsletter with over 8000 subscribers. I had
the pleasure of helping compile this issue dedicated to universal design.
There are a few international sources listed here, but many of you are doing
great work that should be included in the new UD resource page on their
website. I invite you to write to the editors - you'll see their address at
the end of this long issue.
There are many links to articles and even the Proceedings of the Designing
for the 21st Century II June 2000 conference.
Calendar items are welcome as well. Please send those to me and I'll include
them in the Online News that will resume soon, and also get posted on the
ArchVoices resource page.
regards,
Elaine Ostroff Global UD Educator's Network
Date: Fri, 13 Sep 2002 00:01:38 -0400 From:
ArchVoices<[log in to unmask] Subject: [ArchVoices] Universal Design To:
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ArchVoices is an independent, weekly email newsletter compiled by and for
aspiring and young architects. For more information, to subscribe, or to
view past issues, please visit our new interactive website at
http://www.archvoices.org. Email your comments to [log in to unmask] or
simply reply to this message.
In mid-July, ArchVoices was invited to participate in a daylong meeting on
universal design, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and
the Adaptive Environments Center in cooperation with the ACSA. The meeting
overview highlighted that while there have been some strong examples of
curricular infusion in several design disciplines, including architecture,
the concepts of universal design have been met with indifference, confusion,
and resistance within most schools of architecture. In addition,
studio-based education in architecture is often uniquely inaccessible to
students with disabilities. Teaching the techniques and goals of universal
or inclusive design in design school programs is an ironic endeavor when
design schools themselves are inaccessible, and design professionals see
people with disabilities as a user group, rather than as potential peers and
colleagues. The meeting, then, was intended to identify some of the key
barriers and to propose strategies to integrate the values of universal
design within architectural education.
The topic struck a chord with ArchVoices, for a variety of reasons. Like our
own efforts to improve internship, particularly through the 2002 National
Internship Summit, the universal design movement has flourished by
formulating benchmarks to measure improvements, documenting model programs,
and creating an international dialogue on this equally important issue. It
has been pioneered by dedicated people, like the person that helped us edit
this issue. Yet, there is still work to be done, awareness to be raised, and
reform to be pursued.
This week’s issue is one such effort. Not coincidentally, we elected to
publish it immediately after last week’s “Accreditation” issue. It is
focused largely on universal design issues relative to schools and teaching,
but it contains an array of information available to every member of the
profession. We hope this knowledge will find its way into whatever kind of
work, teaching, or research you might be engaged in. And if there are
additional resources you already rely on, please send them to
[log in to unmask] We’ll communicate them to the universal design
community and post them on our newest Resource page,
http://www.archvoices.org/index.cfm? pg=Resources&s=UniversalDesign.
contents:
1. Definitions
2. ADA Standards and the Principles of Universal Design
3. Milestones in Universal Design
4. Universal Design Handbook
5. Building a World Fit for People
6. Accessibility to and in Architecture Schools
7. Articles
8. Online Publications
9. Organizations
10. Upcoming Design Competition
11. Fall 2002 Conferences and Events
1. Definitions
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“Universal design is the design of products and environments to be usable by
all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation
or specialized design.”
-- Ron Mace, Founder, Center for Universal Design (1987)
”Universal design is an approach to design that honors human diversity. It
addresses the right for everyone--from childhood into their oldest years
-- to use all spaces, products and information in an independent, inclusive,
and equal way. It is a process that invites designers to go beyond
compliance with access codes -- to create excellent, people centered
design.”
-- Elaine Ostroff, Founding Director, Adaptive Environments (1999)
2. ADA Standards and the Principles of Universal Design
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There is still confusion about universal design and its relationship to the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards for Accessible Design. For
many architectural educators and practitioners, universal design is merely a
contemporary term for accessibility requirements or a code word for
designing for older and disabled people.
There is obviously a strong connection between the ADA Standards for
Accessible Design and universal design. The ADA Standards provide a baseline
of prescriptive technical criteria--the floor for universal design.
Unfortunately, the ADA Standards are too often addressed only as a code
issue and not intrinsic to the design process. Diverse users are not
considered, and the myth of ‘these requirements are only for a few people’
prevails. We still see code-related add-ons to a new design that have an
awkward retrofit quality. A recent visit to an elegant new office of a
respected design firm revealed a design gap in the ugly toilet room that
looked as if it had been bought whole from a catalog. What is it about codes
that shut down the imagination?
Universal design is characterized by performance criteria for usability, and
includes elements and issues that are not in the ADA Standards. There are
Principles for Universal Design with performance-based guidelines that can
help in the design process. The Center for Universal Design, in
collaboration with a national team, developed the Principles to define the
characteristics that make a design usable. There are some good architectural
examples that illustrate the Principles, but the more widely known examples
are in product and exhibition design. The Principles with examples are at:
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/univ_design/princ_overview.htm. A CD-Rom of
33 projects, “The Exemplars of Universal Design,” selected through an
international program, includes examples from architecture, industrial
design, interior design, exhibit design, and landscape architecture. An
example is here: http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/exemplar_format/ and the CD
is available from the Center for Universal Design:
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/nightsky/ude1.html Universal Design Education
Online is a new web-based resource for teaching and learning about universal
design. Supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research, the site includes course outlines, modules, techniques for
involving users, classic readings and an interactive forum. Users are
invited to submit materials; guidelines are at http://www.udeducation.org.
3. Milestones in Universal Design in the United States
------------------------------------------------------------------
Universal design’s extensive history is well chronicled in one incredible
resource, the “Universal Design Handbook” (McGraw-Hill, 2001), which is
described below. The chronology is available as a downloadable MS Word
document at http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/UDMilestones.doc
A related article, “Progress of universal design over the last 10 years,”
appeared in the July 2002 issue of Universal Design Newsletter--a quarterly
publication covering accessibility, ADA compliance, and the emerging field
of universal design. It too is available as a downloadable MS Word document
available at http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/UDProgress.doc
4. Universal Design Handbook
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In late 2001, McGraw-Hill published the “Universal Design Handbook,” edited
by Wolf Preiser and Elaine Ostroff, with a foreword by Robert Ivy,
editor-in-chief of Architectural Record magazine. This 1,200-page
book--graced with more than 600 illustrations--describes and documents the
extraordinary growth in the international movement to create environments
and products for people of all ages and abilities.
With internationally respected contributors from 18 countries, the 69 author
teams provide comprehensive and in-depth coverage of topics ranging in scale
from urban planning to the design of cell phones, from United Nations
policies to local school districts, from children's play grounds to
Alzheimer's residential care settings.
The book includes: premises and perspectives in universal design; universal
design guidelines and accessibility standards; public policies, systems and
issues; residential environments; universal design practices; education and
research; case studies; information technology; and, the future of universal
design.
Foreword by Robert Ivy, editor-in-chief, Architectural Record
http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/UDHForeword.doc
Excerpt from Chapter 1, “Universal Design: the New Paradigm” by Elaine
Ostroff http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/Paradigm.doc
Review by A. Vernon Woodworth in the Sept/Oct 2002 issue of
ArchitectureBoston http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/ArchBostonReview.doc
5. Building a World Fit for People
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http://www.AdaptiveEnvironments.org/accessdesign
“Building a World Fit for People: Designers with Disabilities at Work”
describes the career development of 21 designers with disabilities from
around the world; 16 of those are within the architecture profession. The
book promotes the design professions as a viable career opportunity for
people with disabilities.
It was written and published by Adaptive Environments and funded by NEC
Foundation of America. Based on the initial research funded by the National
Endowment for the Arts, the book highlights the major influences that shaped
each person’s professional choices. You can order it for $15.00 or read an
accessible version online for free.
Unpublished review by Kathryn Anthony, PhD, professor, University of
Illinois http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/AnthonyReview.doc
Unpublished comments by Brad Grant, chair, Hampton University
http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/GrantComments.doc
6. Accessibility to and in Architecture Schools
------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.naab.org/information1726/information_show.htm? doc_id=14692
As impressive as it may be, Architectural Record’s recent architecture
program survey is a reminder of the lack of information readily available to
prospective architecture students, staff, and faculty with or without
disabilities. Nor does the ACSA provide any such information, although,
until Record’s survey, they published the sole guide to architecture schools
(last in 1997). More specifically, neither guide describes physical access
of the campus or design studios. Another gap in information is in the data
that NAAB collects on minorities. It does not include faculty, students or
staff with disabilities.
Two of the 12 NAAB Conditions for Accreditation include broad statements
that are tangential to universal design. Condition 4: Social Equity, states
that “The program must provide all faculty, students, and staff—irrespective
of…physical disability...—with equitable access to a caring and supportive
educational environment in which to learn, teach, and work.” Condition 7:
Physical Resources, states that “The facilities must be in compliance with
the Americans with Disabilities Act….” Additionally, two of the 37 Student
Performance Criteria speak to this issue as well: 12.8, Human Diversity,
requires that students must demonstrate an “Awareness of the diversity of
needs, values, behavioral norms, and social and spatial patterns that
characterize different cultures, and the implications of this diversity for
the societal roles and responsibilities of architects,” and 12.14,
Accessibility, requires that students demonstrate the “Ability to design
both site and building to accommodate individuals with varying
disabilities.”
As we emphasized last week, NAAB’s efforts remain highly admirable. This one
organization can further support universal design by providing training to
help Visiting Team members recognize indicators for these criteria. And as
the sole entity that compiles empirical data on all architecture programs
annually, NAAB is well-positioned to maintain such information on universal
design issues.
Beyond NAAB and the other collateral organizations, the Adaptive
Environments Center (profiled below) conducted a pilot survey of design
schools in 2001, primarily to learn about students with disabilities and
understand their physical access to studios, access to computers, policies
for accommodation, and connections with disabled student services offices.
The survey was sent to 72 schools of design around the world.
The schools selected were those with design faculty known to have some
involvement with universal design. In collaboration with the Association on
Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), surveys were sent to both design
faculty and to disability services personnel. The survey elicited
38 responses from a total of 30 schools. Twenty-two responses came from
professors of design, 14 responses came from disability services personnel,
and two responses came from students who had been asked by their disability
services office to respond. Of the 30 schools reporting,
11 noted that they did not have any identified students with disabilities in
their design programs, while 19 schools could identify one or more students
with disabilities in their programs.
In general, there was a different type of response from the disability
services staff than from faculty. This may suggest a lack of communication
between design programs and disability services staff of what would be
required by students with disabilities to succeed in design programs.
Notably, only one institution responded collaboratively with people from the
design school and the disability services office exchanging information in
completing the survey. The initiative for coordinating services seems to lie
with the student in most, if not all, programs. And the need for reliable
data remains.
7. Articles
------------------------------------------------------------------
There is a collection of articles on universal design from respected
educators and practitioners from varied perspectives on the Adaptive
Environments website at:
http://www.adaptiveenvironments.org/examples/index.php? f=4 Other individual
articles include:
“The Social Basis and Role of Universal Design as a Builder of Democracy” by
Leslie Weisman http://www.archvoices.org/downloads/WeismanStatement.doc
“A Universal House” by Leslie Young and Rex Pace
http://www.architectureweek.com/2001/0620/building_1-1.html
“A Museum for Everyone” by Coco Raynes
http://www.architectureweek.com/2001/0627/culture_2-1.html
“Doing Universal Design” by B. J. Novitski
http://www.architectureweek.com/2001/0801/culture_1-1.html
“Technology Enables Disabled Architects” by B. J. Novitski
http://www.archrecord.com/DIGITAL/DA_ARTIC/DA9_00.ASP
“Traditional Neighborhood Design and Universal Design” by Philip Dommer
http://www.tndhomes.com/tndandud.html
8. Online Publications
------------------------------------------------------------------
Designing for the 21st II Conference Proceedings:
http://www.adaptenv.org/21century/proceedings.php The June 2000
international conference on universal design included these online
proceedings, representing work of more than 40 of the 148 presenters from 28
countries. The range of topics and cultural differences begin to illustrate
the breadth of applications worldwide.
Strategies for Teaching Universal Design, edited by Polly Welch:
http://www.adaptenv.org/universal/strategies.php Well-illustrated case
studies from 21 design programs around the country describe innovative
approaches for teaching universal design. The book describes the teaching
experiences of the faculty who were awarded stipends from Adaptive
Environments to participate in the 1993-94 Universal Design Education
Project.
The Universal Design File: Designing for People of All Ages and Abilities,
Molly Follette Story, James L. Mueller, & Ronald L. Mace:
http://www.design.ncsu.edu: 8120/cud/pubs/center/books/ud_file/toc3b14.htm
Discusses the history of universal design and provides excellent
illustrations of each principle. Seven in-depth case studies are profiled.
Universal Design New York, the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental
Access, Gary Scott Danforth and Beth Tauke, Eds.:
http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/publications/udnypub.htm This is an online,
interactive version of the illustrated guidelines prepared for the City of
New York for use by two groups: public agencies and the design and
construction agencies hired by the City, and developers and designers of
privately constructed facilities.
Removing Barriers to Health Care: A Guide for Health Professionals (1998)
Center for Universal Design, Ron Mace, Leslie Young, and Rex Pace:
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/%7Encodh/RB-HealthCare.pdf This booklet provides
guidelines and recommendations to help health care professionals ensure
equal use of the facility and services by all their patients.
Publications List from the Center for Universal Design, North Carolina State
University: http://www.design.ncsu.edu:
8120/cud/pubs/center/pubslist.htm#pub The list includes books, pamphlets,
posters, slideshows, videos, tech packs, fact sheets, consumer product
guides, journal articles, and the Exemplars for Universal Design.
Publications List from the IDEA Center, University at Buffalo:
http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/publications/publications.html This very
large and comprehensive list has numerous free technical reports,
publications, articles, as well as multimedia, computer-aided design tools,
other publications, and software related to universal design.
9. Organizations
------------------------------------------------------------------
Adaptive Environments Center (U.S.): http://www.AdaptiveEnvironments.org The
Center hosts universal design conferences, offers universal design education
and consulting, Access to Design Professions, publications and more.
AARP (U.S.): http://www.aarp.org/universalhome/ AARP offers Universal Design
and Home of the Future detailed views, features, and interactive tours of
universally designed homes.
CAST (U.S.): http://www.cast.org/ Universal Design in Learning and the
National Center on Accessing the General Curriculum, and eProducts.
Center for Universal Design (U.S.): http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud Home of
the RERC on Universal Design at NCSU, the Principles of Universal Design,
Universal Design Exemplars, The Universal Design File, Center for Universal
Design Newsline, universal design history publications, and more.
Concrete Change (U.S.): http://concretechange.home.mindspring.com/ National
and international laws, amendments, and guidelines focusing on visitability
in homes.
CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (U.S.): http://ncam.wgbh.org/
Resources for software accessibility, Descriptive Video Services, other
multi-media resources.
IDEA Center (U.S.): http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/~idea/ Home of the RERC on
Universal Design at Buffalo, Bright Ideas, publications, software, videos on
accessibility as well as universal design.
Institute on Independent Living (Sweden): http://www.independentliving.org
Home of resources for international self-help organizations, global
networking, training materials, library, discussion forums, and reviews.
National Endowment for the Arts (U. S.):
http://www.arts.endow.gov/explore/ud/contents.html Universal Design Meeting
Report, summary and recommendations of June 7-8,
1999 meeting.
National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modifications
(U.S.): http://www.homemods.org Maintains national and international
resources, a directory of home modification programs, library, news, links
to government and private websites on aging resources and services.
Trace R&D Center (U.S.): http://www.trace.wisc.edu/ Home of the RERC on
Telecommunications, Designing a More Usable World, wide range of information
on accessible technology including Information Transaction Machines (ITMs),
list discussion groups, and more.
Universal Designers and Consultants (U.S.): http://www.UniversalDesign.com
Home of the Universal Design News, the Images of Universal Design
Excellence, publications, and consulting services and resources.
European Institute for Design and Disability (Europe):
http://www.design-for-all.org/ Home of Design-for-All, Crisp and Clear
magazine, links to EIDD affiliates, and more.
Design for Our Future Selves--Helen Hamlyn Research Center (U. K.):
http://www.hhrc.rca.ac.uk/ Home of the iDesign project, Design for Aging
network, Royal College of Art design fellowships and more.
Draware (Ireland): http://avc.ucd.ie/DraWare Educational research project
focused on architectural education, at University College, Dublin.
European Concept for Accessibility (Luxembourg): http://www.eca.lu/ Home of
the European expert collaboration to define broad concept of accessibility.
GENIE (Europe): http://www.gerontechnology.org/genie/ Home of the
Gerontechnology Education Network in Europe, numerous educational resources
including case studies for teaching and learning about aging and design.
Links to collaborators.
Kyoyo-hin (Japan): http://kyoyohin.org/eng/ Home of the former E&C Project,
design of products, IPOLOCO standard setting process, and examples.
10. Upcoming Design Competition
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http://www.nahbrc.org/awardsseniors.asp? TrackID=&CategoryID=1699
Registration Deadline: September 27 Submission Deadline: December 13
The goal of Aging in Place: An Open Design Competition for Students is to
solicit innovative ideas on smart-aging residential design in an urban
setting. The program challenges students in schools of architecture,
planning, building construction, and occupational therapy nationwide to
design creative, buildable, and livable communities and homes that
facilitate residents' ability to age in place.
The 2002 design challenge, sponsored by The National Center for Seniors
Housing Research (NCSHR), encourages students to address such urban issues
as infill housing and smart growth. Students are required to design a
community on a 10-acre urban site with transportation and other amenities in
close proximity. Competition entries are expected to provide innovative new
approaches to address problems facing today's urban communities.
11. Fall 2002 Conferences
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Web Design that Works for Everyone, October 18-19 (Providence, RI) Hosted by
Rhode Island School of Design
http://www.adaptiveenvironments.org/webconference/index.php
International Federation on Aging; Maturity Matters, October 27-30 (Perth,
Australia) Universal Design Stream
http://www.congresswest.com.au/IFA/universal.html
Build Boston, November 12-14 (Boston, MA) Annual convention with over 200
workshops includes 11 workshops on universal design. Go to
http://www.buildboston.com/ and click on workshops, search universal design
track.
International Conference for Universal Design, November 30-December 4
(Yokohama, Japan) http://www.ud2002.org/en/index.html
Exhibit:
Unlimited by Design is an online version of a traveling exhibit celebrating
designers who have embraced the challenge and opportunity of universal
design. It was originally curated at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian National
Design Museum. http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/ubdweb/
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