The dialogue on sustainable development will benefit from an expanded view of who we develop for. That is, as we adopt the UN definition of disability new opportunities and design solutions will become apparent.
Disability must be seen as in a lifetime context - predictable at certain life stages (i.e. childhood, seniority, recovery from injury, etc.) and not simply the domain of those stigmatized as "disabled." Indicators of Sustainable Development will then include such basics as Universal Design and Visitablity under the topic "Housing" and metrics for measuring the population characteristics of those with disabilities.
With a more coherent approach the links to sustainable tourism will be apparent. A hopeful sign is the introduction of regular statistical studies of human functioning and disability by the UN.
Posted by rollingrains at January 12, 2004 05:03 PM