Rolling Rains Report:

Andrea Nuernberger's Travel Behavior Survey

I encourage all Rolling Rains Report readers who use wheelchairs or scooters to participate in Andrea Nuernberger's Travel Behavior Survey.

I did. It didn't take long and I left with the satisfaction of knowing that I contributed to the development of this field.

Try it. You'll like it! http://research.survey.ucsb.edu/access/

When you visit new places, do you often feel like you are sailing off into the unknown? Do you wonder if you will actually reach your destination? If your answer to these questions is ‘yes’, please consider completing the online survey at http://research.survey.ucsb.edu/access/

I am a Ph. D. student at the University of California and am interested in how wheelchair and scooter users plan their trips, what type of travel information they prefer, and how they find out about accessible routes prior to travel.
I don’t use a wheelchair myself but do a great amount of traveling by public transportation with a friend who uses a power wheelchair. Our travel experiences and his attitude toward traveling have initiated this type of work, and ultimately I hope that it can improve wheelchair users’ travel confidence and interest in trip planning.

If you want to support my work, please visit the link and consider completing the survey. The survey is anonymous (unless you choose to provide an e-mail address) and takes about 20 min.

Since it is my goal to distribute the survey as widely as possible among adult wheelchair users, I welcome if you pass on the survey to other potential participants. If you have ideas about who else I could contact, please let me know.

Thank you for your time.
Andrea Nuernberger
anuernbe@umail.ucsb.edu

Congressional Proposal for Universal Home Design: Visitability

The following article on the Inclusive Home Design Act (HR 2353) introduced by Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) comes by way of the Justice for All Bulletin of the American Association of People with Disabilities. This approach, also known as Visitability, is a key element in inclusive destination development. Contact information follows the piece.

Proposal urges wheelchair-friendly home design
by Allan Appel, Scripps Howard News Service
Source: http://www.SFGate.com

Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Santa Cruz, California

Ninety-five percent of federally supported homes are not required to meet any standard of accessibility. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) cited that shocking fact two years ago when she introduced the Inclusive Home Design Act (HR 2353). The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Benefits by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

The term visitability incorporates three requirements:

• at least one no-step entrance;


• doors and hallways wider than usual;


• and at least a half- bathroom on the first floor big enough to accommodate a person in a wheelchair and allow that person to close the door.

That's it. No fancy amenities. No expensive accoutrements. Just construct the house so a person in a wheelchair can get in, navigate the hallways and use a bathroom on the first floor. Seems pretty simple.

And here is what makes this a no-brainer: Experts in architecture and design estimate the total average cost per dwelling is $98 (on a concrete slab) and $573 (for a dwelling with a basement or crawl space).

The concept of visitability has been growing for the past decade or so. In fact, many states and cities have already trumped the federal government by enacting their own versions of this concept. The first city to do so was Atlanta, in 1992, largely as a result of the efforts of the grassroots group Concrete Change (online at www.concretechange.org). Others were quick to follow, including Arizona, Vermont, Texas, Kansas, Oregon and the cities of Chicago, Champaign, Urbana and Bolingbrook, Ill. All of these mandates require visitability features in single-family housing paid for with public money.

Proponents of visitability agree that inclusion of these basic architectural access features in all new homes constitutes a civil and human right. It is a right that
improves livability for homeowners as well as their guests.

Incorporating visitability at the initial construction phase allows people who develop a disability to continue to enjoy basic access to their homes. Severe life choices can be avoided, such as the aggravation of moving out of the home, or facing expensive renovation (if the home can even be renovated), or continuing to live in the home as a kind of prisoner in an unsafe and potentially unhealthy
environment.

People can comment on Schakowsky's bill by contacting any of the subcommittee's members. A list of those members can be found at http://veterans.house.gov/benefits/members.html.

Source:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/03/09/HOGOJBLGQI1.DTL

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Update: Laurent, South Dakota

Here are two further resources on Laurent, South Dakota - A Town for Signers following the recent charette there. The town plan is now posted online:

• Laurent, South Dakota - A Town for Signers
  http://www.laurentsd.com/
• Marvin’s Laurent, SD Blog
  http://www.laurentsd.com/blog/

Previous Rolling Rains entry:

Destination Development and American Sign Language
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000402.html

Inclusive Destination Development in Brasil

Brazil is emerging as a leader on Universal Design, Travel & Disability, Sustainable Travel, and Disability Rights.

Roteiros do Brasil, the national plan for regionalization of tourism, was previously noted in the Rolling Rains report. The Roteiros main page currently includes a link to the work of Brasil's SENAC on disability (in Portuguese.)

Oi Brasil, parabems!

Informacoes gracas a minha muita amiga Rosângela Caldeira Mendonça.

disability

inclusive destination development

Rolling Rains Bibliography - March 2005

Below is a list of recent Rolling Rains articles exploring Universal Design, Inclusive Destination Development, Disability, and Travel.

• Waking Up to a Changed Travel Market
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/110782
• Defining the Market of Travelers with Disabilities
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/110781
• The Six Knows of Preparing to Travel
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/104743

More below:

(Note: It may be necessary to register first at Suite101.com for these URLs to take you directly to the article. Registration is free.)

• Trekking Through the 2004 Adventures in Travel Expo
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/111982
• All I Want for Christmas is a Vexel Quovis...
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/travel_with_disabilities/105127
• Holiday Giving With a Travel Theme
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/travel_with_disabilities/105318
• Find Information on Travel and Disability at Suite101.com
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/travel_with_disabilities/106825
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium: A Tour de Force of Universal Design
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/109495
• Challenge Air: Disabled Pilots Gaining Altitude With Attitude
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/109982
• Whale Watching on Monterey Bay
  http://www.e-bility.com/articles/whales.shtml
• Accessing Downunder
  http://www.geocities.com/Paris/1502/aunzrains04.htm
• On the Move TV interview with Scott Rains Travel and Universal Design
  http://www.ablecable.org/
• Inclusive Travel: Some Definitions
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114773

• Summer Travel Agenda 2005: Include America
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114769
• Manifest Accessibility
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114545
• Accidental Tourism: Life Beyond Business Travel
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114036
• Bo Beolens' Style: Accessible Birding
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/travel_with_disabilities/114142



• Multi-Sensory Travel Specialists - Outta Sight Travel
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114475



• Advice for Travel with a Canine Companion
  http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114477

inclusive destination development

Taiwan: International Class Inclusive Tourism Conference

Taiwan has done it!

Congratulations to Eden Social Welfare Foundation in Taipei for organizing the first international conference devoted entirely to inclusive travel.

Yes, technically there have been several national conferences that have had regional or international participation. The European Union took an early lead with Tourism for All and still maintains a sophisticated intellectual infrastructure for promoting inclusive travel - allowing specialized programs such as I mentioned yesterday.

But the 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference in Taipei, Taiwan on 5-8 May is international by design. In fact, it marks the launch of a pan-Asian association for the development of inclusive tourism practice.

The organizers seem to have covered all the bases necessary to insure a sustainable impact on tourism practice. Backed by an truly impressive array of government, NGO, educational, and industry representatives, Eden Social Welfare Foundation, together with the Asia Pacific Disability Forum, has formed the Asia Pacific Accessible Tourism League (APATL).

See the conference and APTL web site at:

http://www.apatl.com/

Further Reading:

UNESCAP Study on Inclusive Asian Tourismhttp://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000102.html

Asian Pacific est Practices in Inclusive Travel
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000103.html

Not One But TWO Conferences on UD & Travel - Germany and Taiwan

Inclusive Destination Development seems to be the newest "Spring perenninal" sprouting up on the conference circuit around the world. Germany and Taiwan are blooming!

Australia addressed travel & disability with NICAN in Perth, September 2004 (for those of you who are geographically challenged, September is Spring Downunder). Brazil hosted one national and one international conference on the topic November 2004 in Canela and December 2004 in Rio de Janeiro.

The following is an announcemet from Peter Neumann on the European "Culture for All" Conference to be held May 12- 13, 2005 in Berlin. Tomorrow's post will detail Taiwan's May 5-8, 2005 International Accessible Tourism Conference.

Dear Sir or Madam,

Today I would like to inform you about the Europe-wide conference of the European Institute for Design and Disability (EIDD) on „Culture for all“ May 12th-13th 2005 in Berlin.

A conference organised by EIDD in cooperation with its national member organisation European Institute for Design for All in Germany (EDAD). With the patronage of the Representative of the German Federal Government for the concerns of disabled people and the support of the German Federal Government of Germany and the City of Berlin.

Venue:

German Federal Government Press and Information Office,
Reichstagsufer 14, 10117 Berlin.

Programme:

The final programme will be launched in a few days on the website
www.design-for-all.org or www.design-fuer-alle.de.

In order to start taking steps towards achieving some of the aims expressed in the EIDD Stockholm Declaration© and to demonstrate the wide, horizontal relevance of Design for All to all interested communities, the EIDD has decided to focus its 2005 Annual Conference on the topic of Culture for All.

Contents:

The topic of culture has an enormous range of ramifications, all of which stand to profit extensively from the coherent application of the theory and practice of Design for All. The main headings on which this Conference will concentrate are:

1. Cultural Heritage – Access to Buildings, Nature Reserves and Artefacts


2. Urban Environments and Public Transport in a Cultural Context


3. Cultural Tourism and Marketing

Who should attend?

• local councillors responsible for cultural heritage and activities;


• local planning and transport officers;


• museum curators;


• theatre and cinema managers;


• principals and facility managers in institutions of education;


• managers of tourism and transport companies;


• conference centre managers;


• library managers and librarians;


• publishers and editors;


• architects, city planners, industrial and communication designers;


• web managers and web designers;


• television executives, film directors and producers;


• ecclesiastical authorities responsible for cultural heritage;


• authorities responsible for walled cities, stately home owners, castles and other similar venues

All of these from European countries, plus their European and international associations.

Anticipated consequences:

Based on the three main strands identified, EIDD expects the conference to generate a Final Act stating the relevance of Design for All to the debate about culture and its enjoyment in the modern world. Further expectations include the possibility of establishing a European Standing Conference on the implementation of Design for All in culture, again featuring the three main headings, but without excluding the possibility of further ramifications in future.


We look forward to welcome you to this event and we will send you the official program within the next few days.

For further questions, please do no hesitate to contact me.

Sincerly yours

Peter Neumann

Chairman EDAD and Board Member EIDD

---


Dr. Peter Neumann
Europäisches Institut Design für Alle in Deutschland e.V. (EDAD)
Bahnhofstr. 1-5
48143 Münster
Germany
Tel: +49 251/16254-31
Fax: +49 251/16254-34
www.design-fuer-alle.de
neumann@design-fuer-alle.de
Posted by rollingrains at 06:52 PM

Universal Design in Museums - Coco Rayne's Revolution

Occassionally, someone is able to take the everyday and perceive it in an entirely new way. That is, some say, the essence of genius.

An example of such transformational thinking is the work of Coco Raynes (No relation, although we joke that we're "cousins."`) Raynes' work rendering French and Colombian museums accessible to those who are blind or visually impaired is a significant contribution to inclusive destination development for the cultural traveler. Read about her work in Architectural Digest at:

http://www.architectureweek.com/2001/0620/culture_1-1.html

Hopeful in Seattle -- But Not Quite Universal Design

Seattle is a great destination! (Full disclosure: I grew up there.)

Those who promote inclusive destination development look for allies and compatible models. The Great Places movement emerging from the work of the Project for Public Spaces holds promise.

Although Universal Design did not seem to be addressed at the at the recent Great Places meeting in Seattle, the overall philosophy allows for it:

There seemed a similar consensus that this is a non-ideological (or "post-ideological") movement that has genuine potential for common cause with groups all over the political spectrum. The foundation of Placemaking is the principle that the people living, working and hanging out in a certain place are the people who know that place best and should be centrally involved in making decisions about its future. This message appeals to both conservative ideals of decentralized government and progressive values of community empowerment. Though the current constituency of the movement is mostly left-leaning--and it may alienate some fervent pro-market conservatives--there is every reason to believe it will attract social conservatives and people in the middle of the political road.

But if a group is absent from a public space does that make them ineligible to make decisions about its future under this approach?

In ecology there is a concept called "indicator species" that may be useful here.

Indicator species signal the health of a place through their presence or absence. When people with disabilities are disproportionately represented, or noticeably absent, in a public space the first thing to examine is design. How is tha niche making use of the principles of Universal Design?
Source:

http://www.pps.org/info/newsletter/march2005/march2005_feature

Destination Development and American Sign Language

This article on the proposed town of Laurent, South Dakota comes via the GEOGABLE listserve of the Disability and Geography International Network (DAGIN). Contact information follows the New York Times article:

March 21, 2005
As Town for Deaf Takes Shape, Debate on Isolation Re-emerges
By MONICA DAVEY

ALEM, S.D. - Standing in an empty field along a wind-swept highway, Marvin
T. Miller, who is deaf, envisions the town he wants to create here: a place
built around American Sign Language, where teachers in the new school will
sign, the town council will hold its debates in sign language and restaurant
workers will be required to know how to sign orders.

Nearly 100 families - with people who are deaf, hard of hearing or who can
hear but just want to communicate in sign language - have already publicly
declared their intention to live in Mr. Miller's village, to be called
Laurent, after Laurent Clerc, a French educator of the deaf from the 1800's.

Planners, architects and future residents from various states and other
countries are gathering at a camp center in South Dakota on Monday and
through the week to draw detailed blueprints for the town, which could
accommodate at least 2,500 people. Mr. Miller, who has been imagining this
for years, intends to break ground by fall.

"Society isn't doing that great a job of, quote-unquote, integrating us,"
Mr. Miller, 33, said through an interpreter. "My children don't see role
models in their lives: mayors, factory managers, postal workers, business
owners. So we're setting up a place to show our unique culture, our unique
society."

While deaf enclaves, like the one that existed in Martha's Vineyard decades
ago, have cropped up throughout the nation, this would be the first town
expressly created for people who sign, its developers say. Even the
location, in sparsely populated South Dakota, was selected with the intent
of rapidly building political strength for the nation's millions of deaf and
hard-of-hearing people, a group that has won few elected offices around the
country.

But in the complicated political world of deaf culture, Laurent is an
increasingly contentious idea. For some, like Mr. Miller; his wife,
Jennifer, who is also deaf; and their four deaf children, it seems the
simplest of wishes: to live in a place where they are fully engaged in
day-to-day life. Others, however, particularly advocates of technologies
that help deaf people use spoken language, wonder whether such a town would
merely isolate and exclude the deaf more than ever.

"We think there is a greater benefit for people to be part of the whole
world," said Todd Houston, executive director of the Alexander Graham Bell
Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Washington. "I understand
the desire to be around people like ourselves, and I don't have a problem
with that, but I don't think it's very wise. This is a little bit of
circling-the-wagons mentality, if you ask me."

Over the past 15 years, he said, it has become easier for the deaf and hard
of hearing to grow up using spoken language, because of a steady rise in the
use of cochlear implants, more early diagnoses and therapies for deaf
children and efforts to place some deaf children in mainstream schools. That
fact has set off intense political debate over what it means to be deaf and
what mode of communication - signing or talking - the deaf should focus on.

Those who want to live in Laurent, though, say their intent is not
exclusivity at all, but the inclusion of diverse people, especially those
who do not have the luxury of communicating with speech. "We are not
building a town for deaf people," said M. E. Barwacz, Mr. Miller's
mother-in-law and his business partner in creating Laurent. "We are building
a town for sign language users. And one of the biggest groups we expect to
have here is hearing parents with deaf children."

Ms. Barwacz, who intends to live in Laurent, is not deaf. She has two
daughters, one deaf and one not, and eight grandchildren, four of them deaf.
Nationally, experts report that some 90 percent of deaf children are born to
hearing parents, setting up a quandary, in some cases, about what language
to use in a single household.

As early as the 1800's, deaf leaders debated the possibility of a "deaf
state," said Gerard Buckley, an official at the National Technical Institute
for the Deaf in Rochester. But the notion came and went. Elsewhere, because
of proximity to schools and businesses tied to the deaf, large
concentrations of deaf people have gathered in cities like Rochester;
Washington; Olathe, Kan.; Frederick, Md.; and Sioux Falls, S.D.

The difference in Laurent, say some among the 92 families who have reserved
spaces in the town from as far as London and Australia, is that every
element of it would be designed with them in mind. The homes and businesses,
they said, would incorporate glass and open space for easy visibility across
wide distances. Fire and police services would be designed with more lights
and fewer sirens. High-speed Internet connections would be available all
over town, since the Internet and Video Relay Service have become vital
modes of communication for deaf people. And any shops, businesses or
restaurants would be required to be sign-language friendly.

Here in Salem, a dusty 125-year-old farming town of 1,300 three miles from
the proposed site of Laurent, people seem unsure of what to make of the
idea. "No one has ever come along and tried to start a town," said Joseph
Kolbeck, the local barber.

Along the quiet main drag through town, Mr. Miller and Ms. Barwacz, who are
originally from Michigan, recently opened a storefront in the old King Koin
Laundromat to create and promote Laurent. They moved to Salem not long ago,
choosing the area after surveying nearly the entire country looking at
factors like population, climate and cost of land.

Some people here wonder how the proposed town of 2,500 would mesh with
McCook County's 6,000 residents and its economy of corn, cows and pigs.
Others say they doubt Laurent will ever become reality.

Mr. Miller and Ms. Barwacz have revealed little about the costs and their
plans for financing Laurent. They say they are using family money, as well
as some from a group of "angel investors," led by a man with a deaf daughter
who wishes to remain anonymous. First Dakota National Bank is helping to
secure financing, and the two have optioned 275 acres so far. They say they
are spending about $300,000 for the planning work during the meetings that
will end on Saturday. Those who have reserved spaces in Laurent will be
expected to put down $1,000 deposits for condominiums and home lots within
the next few months.

For many of those people - from states like California, Florida and New York
- a move to prairie land in South Dakota (population 760,000) would seem to
be an enormous culture shock. But they plan to start businesses like shops
and restaurants, gas stations and hotels, and the benefits, many of them
say, outweigh any concerns they have about the location.

Lawrence J. Brick, a retired school administrator from Philadelphia, said
Laurent held attractions that most hearing people would struggle even to
grasp: no longer having to shy away from the neighbors, fearing he could not
communicate; no longer having to guess what a store clerk is saying about a
price; no longer having to apologize for being deaf.

Although some people argue that Laurent might isolate deaf people, H-Dirksen
L. Bauman, who directs the master's program in deaf studies at Gallaudet
University, said the plans actually marked an important collaboration
between the deaf and the hearing, one of a sort not always encouraged by the
deaf community. This is especially significant, he said, as more hearing
people are learning American Sign Language, now the fifth most-studied
language on college campuses.

"Hearing people are not welcomed in deaf residential schools, in deaf
clubs," Mr. Bauman said. "But there is no audiogram you will need to buy
land in Laurent, South Dakota. There's simply a commitment to live in a
visually centered environment that supports manual as opposed to spoken
language."

But Dr. Michael Novak of Urbana, Ill., who has been performing cochlear
implants since 1984, said he was convinced that the trend among the deaf was
actually shifting toward therapies that could help the next generation of
deaf people use spoken language.

"Communities like this have a real place for people who cannot or choose not
to use the hearing technology," Dr. Novak said of Laurent. "But over time,
that number will be reducing." He wonders then, he said, if the future of a
notion like Laurent might fade away.

For his part, though, Mr. Miller said reports of the "death of sign language
and deaf culture continue to be greatly exaggerated." Not everyone, he said,
is eligible for or would even want to receive technologies like cochlear
implants. "I do not want one for myself," he said. "I am very happy being
deaf. To me, this is like asking a black or Asian person if he/she would
take a pill to turn into a white person."

GEOGABLE DISCUSSION LIST

List owner and manager, Dr. Mike Dorn, invites you to also check out his new Disability Studies, Temple University weblog. An on-line community devoted to building Disability Culture in the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley regions, http://isc.temple.edu/neighbor/ds

For information on GEOGABLE and links to learn more about managing your subscription, visit the following webpage, http://isc.temple.edu/neighbor/service

For more information on the Disability and Geography International Network (DAGIN), visit the Disability and Geography Resource, http://isc.temple.edu/neighbor/research

Jamaica: Is Universal Design on the Map?

Jamaica is a very popular destination for travelers from the US. Sandals Resorts has a well-experienced, service-oriented staff that has earned a high reputation among people with disabilities.

Yet, Jamaica mars its appeal and literally drives customers away as long as it retains an outmoded quarantine of all dogs -- including essential service animals.

Jamaica's Ten Year Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development (2001 - 2010) is a hopeful sign. With the links made clear between Universal Design and sustainable development through work done by the World Bank, Sustainable Design, MIUSA and the Latin American Strategy Session on Universal Design, one would hope to see the innititiative strongly promoting a more disabled friendly travel experience -- especially as da Boomers get oldah, mon!

Safety and Travelers with Disabilities

About a year ago safety of people with disabilities in public places captured a good deal of attention in the US. At the same time there have been ongoing efforts to harmonize international and US building codes. A court case in Maryland addressed both issues stating that I-codes and ADA are compatible.

Source: http://www.iccsafe.org/news/nr/2005/050302ada.html

I-Codes comply with court ruling on emergency evacuation for persons with disabilities

I-Codes, published by the International Code Council, are consistent with a Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Maryland, ruling that says the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires places of public accommodation to consider the needs of people with disabilities in developing emergency evacuation plans.

The ruling is the result of an incident that left a woman stranded in a wheelchair when a Silver Springs, Maryland, mall store was evacuated. Store policy required that the woman be evacuated into the mall. She was not provided any direction or assistance for evacuation from the basement level of the mall.

For decades the I-Codes—first as legacy codes developed by BOCA, ICBO and SBCCI—and now through requirements in the International Fire Code have required fire safety evacuation plans for all occupants in facilities that are assembly, educational, high-hazard, institutional, assisted living, high-rise buildings, underground buildings, hotels and large mercantile, according to International Code Council Senior Vice President of Technical Services Tom Frost.

Building owners and code officials that maintain and review evacuation plans are reminded to make sure that special needs and concerns of people with disabilities are taken into consideration as part of the plan. A proactive approach to training and planning for these concerns will greatly assist all persons concerned with a quick, safe and effective evacuation of a building in any emergency situation, Frost said.

One primary goal of the International Code Council is that accessibility requirements in the I-Codes meet or exceed federal accessibility requirements, including the ADA and the Fair Housing Amendments Act. ICC is referenced for accessible means of egress requirements in the new ADA/ABA Guidelines (Sections 207/F207). ICC also is the secretariat for development of the accessibility technical standard ICC/ANSI A117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council.

Thanks to Terry Welker at The Code Connection for this new item.

NY Times on Cruise Ships & ADA

Let's cut right to the end of Linda Greenhouse's Does the Disability Act Stop at the Shoreline?:

Norwegian pointed out in its brief that it was acting "in
response to competitive market dynamics in effect
throughout the cruise industry." In other words, what the
law itself might or might not accomplish, capitalism
already has.

Oh yes, wouldn't life be so much simpler if there were an Invisible Hand moving all things economic effortlessly toward justice? A world where carrots made sticks obsolete?

The new ships they tout as solutions do not incorporate Universal Design or Visitability. The vessels may be improvements, I have not inspected them yet, but they do not represeant a radical break with the discriminatory anthropology that undergirds the sailor's culture and definitions of seaworthiness in the shipbuilding industry.

Read tomorrow's NYT story here:

http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/03/20/travel/20prac.html?ex
=1111899600&en=99108024d58b5650&ei=5070

Compared to Canada...

Canada is home to some important inclusive travel initiatives like Kéroul and Inclusive Cities Canada. In this article, "Planning is key when travelling with health problems and disabilities," two Canadian travelers weigh in with some real-world travel advice.

Thank you to Darren Hillock at 2Hill Media and Getting Around: a blog for locating this article.

Toward Sustainable Universal Design @ Temple University

Universal Design takes a whole person/whole environment approach to design. The thrust is toward inclusion, and away from possible stigmatization, by designing places, processes, and products for the widest range of possible users.

However, sometimes the best solution involves Assistive Technology -- a more customised design solution that is uniquely suited to an individual and their functional abilities. Both Universal Design and Asssistive Technology work together to produce a more inclusive world.

And one program at Temple University is doing that on a global scale. As Mobility International USA (MIUSA) demonstrates worldwide, study abroad by students with disabilities is a powerful force for good in the world.

From the "Culturally Appropriate Solutions" program website:

On a daily basis, people with disabilities face numerous barriers that prevent them from participating in and contributing more fully to activities in their home, school and work environments, and their communities.

Technology has enormous potential to eliminate such barriers. When technology supports are present at an early stage, persons with disabilities are better able to develop functional skills that enhance their opportunities for inclusion in everyday community life. The proposed interdisciplinary program seeks to train advanced undergraduates, mostly juniors and seniors, majoring in school-related disciplines (e.g. speech communication, special education, physical education, recreational therapy, occupational therapy, and educational technology) in the development of culturally sensitive approaches to utilizing assistive technology.

Read a firsthand account in Jared Goyette's blog Disabilty in the Brazilian Context
http://bahiadisabilitystudy.blogspot.com/2005/03/blackout-is-over.html

Further Reading:

Promoting the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Society Through Assistive Technology: Culturally Appropriate Solutions
http://isc.temple.edu/fipsecapesprogram/description.htm

Mobility International USA
http://www.miusa.org/

A Public Broadcast Sysytem (PBS) Resource on Universal Design
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000200.html

A PBS Resource on Assistive Technology
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/freedommachines/special_whatis.html

www.rollingrains.com

Accidental Tourism: Life Beyond Business Travel

Today, at Suite101.com, you will find the article, "Accidental Tourism: Life Beyond Business Travel."

Who says you can't mix business and pleasure?

Further Reading at Suite101.com:

Travel & Disability
http://www.suite101.com/articles.cfm/travel_with_disabilities

Single Planet Blog

I confess that I do not get over to Single Planet as often as the site merits. However, with an invitation to speak in Taiwan pending and after conversing with several Chinese tour operators this weekend at the Bay Area Travel Show I found today's post insightful.

I have not yet traveled to China but service would not appear to be one of their high points.

Let us hope there is a revolution of their service culture before the Paralympics.

Read
http://singleplanet.blogs.com/single_planet/2005/03/waking_up_to_th.html

Blogarama

Accesible Buenos Aires

The architects at Accesible Buenos Aires works to make that city a destination of choice for travelers with disabilities.

http://www.accesible.com.ar/buenosaires/index.htm

De Accessible Buenos Aires:

Bienvenido a www.accesible.com.ar, el sitio en Internet dedicado a promover la arquitectura para todos y el diseño universal, considerando nuestras distintas capacidades y nuestros iguales derechos.

accesible.com.ar nació en mayo del año 2000, fruto de las experiencias, el
trabajo y la investigación de nuestro estudio profesional.

El sitio cuenta con 20 secciones, contiene mas de 300 páginas y recibe mas de
10000 visitantes mensuales. Cuenta con el auspicio institucional del Consejo
Profesional de Arquitectura y Urbanismo CPAU y de la Sociedad Central de
Arquitectos SCA.

La Gacetilla Accesible tiene frecuencia mensual y en ella informamos acerca de
los nuevos contenidos del sitio.

accesible.com.ar cuenta, entre otras con las siguientes secciones:

ARTICULOS y FICHAS TEMATICAS para reflexionar e implementar diseños
inclusivos para todas las personas.

POSTALES ACCESIBLES con el comentario de la accesibilidad en distintas
ciudades del mundo.

LA FOTO, donde exponemos situaciones conflictivas y problemas de uso en la
arquitectura, el equipamiento o la comunicación.

El TALLER EXPERIMENTAL DE ACCESIBILIDAD, una forma de concientización
surgida de la vivencia y experimentación del espacio por parte de los
profesionales y estudiantes que se dedican al diseño del entorno construido.

CONSULTAS en línea, para quienes deseen obtener información relacionada con
la accesibilidad al medio físico.

La GUIA BUENOS AIRES ACCESIBLE con el relevamiento de la accesibilidad a
numerosos establecimientos clasificados según su destino.

www.accesible.com.ar ha merecido la cobertura de los suplementos
Arquitectura, Informática y Sin Límites del diario La Nación, de los suplementos
M2 e Internet de Página/12, del suplemento Arquitectura y de la revista Viva
del diario Clarín y de la sección Internet y Construcción de la revista Vivienda.

Esperamos tener noticias de ustedes y quedamos a su disposición para
responder a cualquier inquietud.

Cordialmente

Arq. Daniel Low
Arq. Gustavo Bennun
Titulares de accesible.com.ar

accesible.com.ar
info@accesible.com.ar
www.accesible.com.ar
Con el auspicio institucional de:
Consejo Profesional de Arquitectura y Urbanismo
Sociedad Central de Arquitectos
AMSCA

Invite a un amigo a suscribirse a la Gacetilla Accesible.
La suscripción puede hacerse enviando un mensaje a gacetilla@accesible.com.ar con "Suscripción" en el asunto o desde la página principal de www.accesible.com.ar
Para dar de baja la Gacetilla Accesible, envíe un mensaje a info@accesible.com.ar con BAJA en el Asunto.

Important Universal Design Definitions in Spanish

Several Spanish keywords are defined in this post at Cultura Del Proyecto.com:

See:

Cultura del Proyecto.com
http://www.culturadelproyecto.com/archives/diseno_industrial/Diseno-Universal-Diseno-Inclusivo-Accesibilidad-Diseno-Para-Todos.html

Fundación Sidar
http://www.sidar.org/recur/desdi/usable/dudt.php

Lowes.com
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=noNavProcessor&sec=esp&p=spanish/CommLib/UnivDesDef.html

Wikipedia
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dise%C3%B1o_universal

Hotel Book

Pegasus has announced plans to build a new consumer website focusing on
independent hotels. It will be called Hotel Book and will compete with
major hotel chains websites. Hotel websites presently have 80% of the US
Internet market. This web site will give independent hotels a chance to
market to the consumer directly.

Yes, but will Hotel Book turn the page and cover the essentials needed by travelers with disabilities or will a visit to the web site bring a stifled yawn and a "Been there. Done that." click through?

A useable hotel site needs:

See also Judith Bendel's Accessible Israel

Pegasus Solutions web site:
http://www.pegs.com/

Role Reversal: "Accessibility for All" video in France

For a video clip disability immersion experience -- with roles reversed -- see the "Accessibility for All" PSR at:

http://www.edf.com/html/pubtv_2005/diversites/pop_video.html

Source:

Alejandra @ Gimp Girl
http://www.livejournal.com/users/aleja/96895.html

Visitability Makes Continued Progress

Eleanor Smith of Concrete Change has added a link to a new resource for promoting Visitability. It is the article Visitability: The Way Of The Future In Home Building by Roger C Claar and James S Boan. The two men are the mayor and the attorney of Bollingbrook, Illinos respectively.

As Visitability and home modifications involving Universal Design continue to define the new American home, so too will it come to shape the new American standard of resort and vacation lodging comfort.

At the federal level the Inclusive Home Design Act (HR 2353) introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) has been referred to the Subcommittee on Benefits by the House Committee on Veterans Affairs.

Further Visitability initiatives:

Visitability: The Way Of The Future In Home Building
http://www.concretechange.org/Visitability1.pdf

Proposal urges wheelchair-friendly home design
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/09/HOGOJBLGQI1.DTL

City eyes new rules for housing developers
http://www.goldentranscript.com/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2005-03-10&-token.story=118161.112112&-token.subpub

Recent Articles on Universal Design

House Rules: No Restrictions
For One Family, Universal Design Opens Doors Once Closed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19667-2005Mar9.html

Universal design benefit for all ages:
Inclusion of user-friendly touches in remodeling projects gaining acceptance.
http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/living/10997487.htm

Inclusive Tourism in Shanghai?

English.eastday.com reports on the recent Wheelchair Experience and Accessibility Facility Survey in an article entitled, Seeing the World from One Meter High

The full story:

Groups of volunteers have got off their feet and into wheelchairs to see what everyday life in Shanghai is like for those unable to walk. Xu Wei reports that a lot more needs to be done to help the city's estimated 500,000 wheelchair-bound [sic] people.

Getting around the city amid all the hustle and bustle is an ordinary daily experience for most people but for the disabled, it can be an adventure. And it's only when one experiences what such an ``adventure'' is like that the difficulties the disabled face all the time can be understood.

``It's hard to imagine the threats that steps, elevators, escalators and even restrooms may pose to people in wheelchairs,'' says volunteer worker Cao Kun.

``But now my fellow volunteers and I understand.'' Cao is a volunteer in a program entitled, Wheelchair Experience and Accessibility Facility Survey, initiated by the Wheelchair Foundation, a non-profit organization that is part of an international effort to help wheelchair-bound people in their daily lives. The program encourages ordinary people to experience what life is like for those in a wheelchair and the ultimate aim is to help make the city's facilities more ``friendly'' to the disabled.

Cao, a 21-year-old machinist, has finished his ``wheelchair experience'' and has made a careful inspection of the access available to wheelchair users at stops along the city's metro lines. ``Last August when I read about the volunteer recruitment at www.online.sh.cn it occurred to me that I had a responsibility to extend more care to this disadvantaged group,'' Cao says. The program Cao joined had the apt title, Seeing the World from 1-Meter High, and it gave the volunteers a different view of the world from the one most of us know.

It's also a world we cannot even imagine. From last August to October, after a total of 49 volunteers were trained in how to use wheelchairs safely, they set off to spend their leisure time going around Shanghai in wheelchairs to gain hands-on experience so they could begin to understand the everyday difficulties confronting disabled people. They visited major public facilities in wheelchairs to test how ``friendly'' its access was and how it could be improved.

"The campaign is the first of its kind in Shanghai and even in China,'' says Yan Ling, an official with the Wheelchair Foundation China Office. "Experiencing life as a physically disabled person can help people discover facts of life they would never have imagined before.''

The volunteers were divided into seven groups, with six of them conducting surveys in the bigger business districts around town and one group researching all the metro lines. Each group was provided with two wheelchairs, and except for the group surveying the metro lines, all the others were required to complete three questionnaires.

The focus of the questionnaires was on ease of wheelchair travel along the streets, wheelchair access inside major buildings and people's attitudes towards the disabled when they encountered them in wheelchairs. When conducting the survey, each group split into two teams while one volunteer sat in a wheelchair and went through the streets or buildings in a selected area. One volunteer kept an eye on the wheelchair user from a distance and provided assistance when necessary and the other team conducted the survey, completed the questionnaire and took photographs.

Anyone who thinks it would be easy to manage a wheelchair will be proved to be so wrong as Cao and his group found on their first day. ``The minute I sat on a wheelchair and moved along the street, my world suddenly shrank because of the low height,'' Cao recalls. ``I was sort of scared to face the road in front of me, not to mention steep slopes and you also have to put up with the curious eyes and looks on the faces of passers-by. I told myself I must be brave and endure all of it to complete the survey.'' ``Seeing the World from 1-Meter High'' means you may encounter problems even at places you normally pass through every day.

Once, when Cao tried to get off a train at a metro stop, the front wheels of his chair became wedged in the gap between the train and platform. ``I was so frightened at that moment as the door of the train was about to close,'' Cao says. ``Without help from my teammates, it could have been very dangerous. I can imagine that when a disabled person is traveling in a wheelchair on his own, even the simple action of getting on or off a train or bus can become `mission impossible'.''

Cao's words were echoed by Chen Shixin, another volunteer and a student from the Sociology Department of Fudan University. ``When I went shopping in a wheelchair at a convenience store, I couldn't reach the yogurt on the shelf and the two shop assistants just stood by and seemed reluctant to offer a hand,'' Chen says. ``It almost broke my heart and made me wonder why there wasn't a shelf especially provided for the disabled.''

Based on their survey, a city guidebook written in Chinese and designed for wheelchair users has just been completed. The book is called ``Operation Mobility'' and provides detailed information on wheelchair accessibility, where and how to take a bus or the metro, which shopping mall or library is wheelchair friendly and where washrooms for the disabled are located in the city.

It is the first of its kind in China and will be updated every year and distributed free to wheelchair users. A trial version of the guidebook is expected to come out later this month. "With information covering traffic, education, dining, shopping and entertainment venues, people in wheelchairs will have a clearer picture of the easily accessible facilities in town and won't have to isolate themselves by staying at home,'' says Tang Xiaoyan, an administrative employee with a local company and a voluntary editor of the booklet.

"I'm so pleased to have been a helper to help fulfill the dreams wheelchair people have of being more mobile and of touring,'' Cao says beaming.

According to the China Disabled Persons' Federation, in China today nearly 9 million people need to use wheelchairs. In Shanghai the figure is estimated to be around 500,000.

Although increased attention has been paid to the needs of the disabled in newly constructed buildings in the city where specially designed elevators and sloping paths have been installed, a lot more work still needs to be done. For example, some ramps for wheelchairs are too precipitous and in the streets, the intervals at many traffic lights are too short for the disabled to be able to get safely across the intersection. And some entry points for wheelchairs on the metro lines are hard to find. ``Sidewalks for the blind and the ramps for wheelchairs are even occupied improperly by bicycles or cars and in some restrooms, wheelchair people can't reach the clothes racks,'' Yan says.

"In the near future, the campaign will be extended to a nationwide project with Beijing and Guangzhou as the next two cities to promote an obstacle-free environment for the disabled.'' Chen Cun, a well-known local writer and a wheelchair user because of a severe spinal disease, appreciates the dedication shown by the foundation and volunteers. "This campaign is very meaningful, not only to the people confined [sic] to wheelchairs because of physical disabilities but also to ordinary persons who may eventually have need of a wheelchair when they are older,'' Chen says.

"Dog Fight" in the Air: Guide Dogs, Airlines, and TransAtlantic Travel

I received the following request for assistance.

The urgency of the appeal has special meaning to me as I have just completed two interviews with the founder of Outta Sight Travel, Jackie Hull. The second article deals specifically with travel and guide dogs.

Here is another example illustrating, as in the Spector vs NCL case, the need for internationalization of human rights practice, its harmonization between regions, and Universal Design thinking in design and management.

Dear Friends and Fellow Assistance Dog Users,

I am writing to request your immediate action regarding the refusal of all North American airlines to transport assistance dogs in the passenger cabin when traveling to the United Kingdom.

Background:

The Pet Travel Scheme is the system that allows pet animals and assistance dogs from qualifying countries to enter the United Kingdom without quarantine as long as they meet certain conditions set forth by the UK'S Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

In December of 2002, the British government extended the Pet Travel Scheme,
(PETS) to North America so that pets and assistance dogs from the United States and Canada could enter on approved routes, however assistance dogs were Treated as pets and required to be transported in a "sealed crate' in the cargo hold of the airplane. In April of 2004, the British government removed the "sealing" requirement thereby making it legal to transport assistance dogs in the passenger cabin on flights into the United Kingdom. This was a great moment for assistance dog handlers worldwide who expected to be able to travel with their highly trained guide, hearing and service dogs at their side on flights to England. The British government left it up to each individual air carrier to decide whether or not they wanted to modify their practices and procedures to allow assistance dogs to be transported in the passenger cabin with their disabled human partners. Now, a year later not one U.S. based carrier has agreed to do so.

How You Can Help - In the United States:

It is clear that we need our government to step in to force the U.S. based carriers to do the right thing.

We need everyone's help on this final step to force the U.S. based airlines to change their policies. Please take a few moments and contact your Senators and Congressperson today. While we would like for you to contact your own elected officials, we have focused our attention on members of the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science Transportation - Aviation Subcommittee and the US House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure - Subcommittee on Aviation.

Thank you in advance for your time and attention to this request for your
help. Although you may never wish to travel to England with your assistance
dog, it is our hope that you will agree to help support those of us who do.

It is imperative that our elected officials hear from as many people as
possible on this issue, please share this message with everyone in your
circle of associates and friends. If each of us can get five people to join
our campaign we willbe able to make a powerful statement.

Remember: Call, email, or fax your Senators and Congressperson as soon as
possible - local office or in DC. If he/she is not on the Aviation Subcommittees, ask them to contact that committee and tell them the disability community needs their help in ending the stalemate with the U.S. airlines.

Please note that I have included a sample letter below.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 949-376-9242

or michael.hastings at cox.net.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Osborn

Here is a sample letter:

Michael C. Osborn

Post Office Box 4256

Laguna Beach, California 92652

Phone: 1 949 376 9242 E-mail:

E-mail: michael.hastings at cox.net

7 March 2005

The Honorable John L. Mica

United States House of Representatives

2313 Rayburn House Office Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

Re: Refusal of U.S. Airlines to Transport Assistance Dogs

In Passenger Cabins on Flights to the United Kingdom

Dear Congressman Mica,

I am a blind individual teamed with a guide dog, and on behalf of all assistance dog handlers I am writing to request your help with regard to the issue of transporting assistance dogs in the passenger cabins on flights from the United States to the United Kingdom.

It has been nearly a year since the British government amended the Pet Travel Scheme making it legal for assistance dogs to be transported in the passenger cabin on flights into England. However, all of the major U.S. based air carriers that offer service to the U.K. have been unwilling to change their policies and we have reached an impasse.

The United States Department of Transportation, (DOT) is currently of the belief that because our airlines have not established the required agreement with the UK's Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, (DEFRA), to permit the legal transportation of guide and other assistance dogs in to the UK in their passenger cabins, and because the United States Air Carrier Access ACT, (ACA) (14 CFR Part 382) currently does not contain language that specifically mandates that airlines operating routes in to the UK, or to other countries with such requirements there is currently no violation of the ACA by these airlines.

We need your help convincing the airlines (American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, United and US Airways) to abide by the Air Carrier Access Act andstop denying access to passengers with disabilities who use assistance dogs
by exploiting loopholes in the ACA. Including language in the ACA that establishes a protocol all airlines operating routes from the U.S. to the UK, and to other countries with similar requirements will close this loophole, and will go a long way to ensuring true compliance with the ACA by all airlines.

Those of us who are partnered with assistance dogs (guide, hearing and service dogs) will not compromise the safety of our dogs nor ourselves and will not allow our team to be separated and our dog to be shipped in a sealed crate in the cargo hold of the airplane.

If you have questions or require additional information please feel free to contact me. Thank you in advance for any help you are able to provide in making it possible for those of us who use assistance dogs to finally be able to visit the United Kingdom for both business and pleasure.

Sincerely,

Michael C. Osborn

Paul Longmore Honored

As a tribute to a man who, while briefly passing through my professional life nearly two decades ago, shaped it through his scholarship and example and has always been available for consultation and support.

Congratulations, Paul! The American Association of People with Disablities made the right choice selecting your for the Paul Betts Award.

Further Reading:

American Assoication of People with Disablities
AAPD
http://www.aapd-dc.org

Will Ireland be Accessible?

Ireland has done much recently to enhance the tourist experience. Yet trends are toward rising overhead for the industry and shorter stays for tourists. There is a danger that short-term cost cutting could result in long-term undesireable results.

So it is encouraging to read that Tourism Minister John O’Donoghue considers it a priority for Irish hotels to develop a classification scheme. Will Ireland step into the leadership position and implement a world-class system that serves disabled travelers?

In short, will Ireland adopt the worldwide trend toward Universal Design, Visitability, and Guestability?

The Tourism Minister ... told the delegates that a mandatory and up-to-date hotel classification system must be installed.

“I do not think that it is acceptable any longer for a significant part of our hotel properties to remain ‘unclassified’,” Mr O’Donoghue said. “If we are to take the consumer perspective – which we must if we are to survive – such a system is unsustainable.”
Mr O’Donoghue said this would represent a milestone for the industry and said discussions on the introduction of a new classification system were at an advanced stage.

From the Irish Examiner
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=54881310&p=5488y595&n=54881600&x=

Related Reading:

Universal Design

Ron Mace on Universal Design
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000051.html

Visitability

Definition of Visitability
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000357.html

Resources on Visitability
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000358.html

Guestability
Guestability - Signposts to Inclusive Accommodation
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000240.html

Disability & Freedom of Movement

Disability and the Freedom of Movement is a training guide and helpful bibliography for the touirism industry. You will find the report at:

http://www.info-handicap.lu/freedom/

From the Report:

BIBLIOGRAPHY - Existing training tools

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tools already existing to provide a quick reference for professionals looking for a solution to practical cases are mainly manuals, published in many European countries on the initiative of NGOs, Organisations of/for Disabled People, National Tourist Boards:

Accessibility in the tourism environment - Accessible Architecture, XABIER GARCÍA-MILÀ LLOVERAS, Course on accessible tourism of the "Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a personas con minusvalía" organized by Alpe, Spain, 1998

Accessibility in the tourism environment - Urban and natural environment, mobility and transport for Universal Tourism, JOSÉ ANTONIO JUNCÀ UBIERNA, Course on accessible tourism of the "Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a personas con minusvalía" organized by Alpe, Spain, 1998

Accueil du public handicapé, ITAC, Toulon 1997

Accueil et Accessibilité - Guide d'information à usage des professionnels du tourisme, CATHERINE BACHELIER, VÉRONIQUE CLAUDE, FRÉDÉRIC DUMEZ, Cellule de Coordination Nationale "Tourisme et Handicaps", France, avril 1999

Adequate treatment to clients with reduced mobility, JOSÉ FÉLIZ SANZ JUEZ, Course on accessible tourism of the "Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a personas con minusvalía" organized by Alpe, Spain, 1998

Análisis Comparado de las Normas Autonómicas y Estatal de Accesibilidad, Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con Minusvalía, Spain, 1998

Aventuras de Tita y Oli - video tape, Alpe Turismo para Todos, Spain, 1996

Benvenuto tra noi !, Provincia di Brescia Assessorato al Turismo, Italie

Curso Básico sobre Accesibilidad al Medio Físico, Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con Minusvalía, Spain, 1996

Disability Awareness Training - Information Pack, London Transport - Unit for Disabled Passengers, London 1996

European Concept for Accessibility, CCPT, MAARTEN WIJK, EGM onderzoek bv, The Netherlands, March 1996

Formation pour enquêteurs en accessibilité - Hôtels, restaurants, maisons de vacances, Info-Handicap, Luxembourg, Mars 1998

L'accessibilité des lieux d'accueil touristique aux personnes à mobilité réduite, ANDREAS CHRISTODOULIDES, C.E.P. de la Cepière, Toulouse, France, 1998

Making Europe Accessible for Tourists with Disabilities - Handbook for the Tourism Industry, European Commission, DG XXIII - Tourism Unit, Luxembourg, 1996

Manual de Accesibilidad a hoteles para personas con movilidad reducida, Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a Personas con Minusvalía, en colaboración con la Secretaría de Estado de Comercio, Turismo y de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, Spain, 1997

Millennium Access Guide 2000, Disabled Peoples' International, UK, 1998

Non cosi ma...cosi. Per un miglior contatto con i ciechi, UNIONE ITALIANA DEI CIECHI, Edito a cura della Presidenza dell'U.I.C., Roma

Organisation of accessible tourism activities, JOSÉ FÉLIZ SANZ JUEZ, Course on accessible tourism of the "Real Patronato de Prevención y de Atención a personas con minusvalía" organized by Alpe, Spain, 1998

Progettare per tutti senza Barriere, FABRIZIO VESCOVO - a cura di, collaborazione di Tommaso Empler, Daniela Orlandi, Silvia Sargenti, Maggioli Editore, Rimini 1997

Qualità nell'accoglienza turistica di clienti con bisogni speciali, Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri - Dipartimento del Turismo/Dipartimento degli Affari Sociali, Maggio 1998

Tourism for All, NIEVES SANCHIZ PONS, Alpe, Spain 1998

Tourism for All - Providing Accessible Accommodation, JOHN H. PENTON, The Holiday Care Service - The English Tourist Board, UK, 1990

Tourism for All - Providing service for all - The training Guide, MAUNDY TODD, CAROL TOMLINSON, MARY BAKER, The National Tourist Boards of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, Edinburgh 1997

Vivere nello stesso mondo. Istruzioni per l'uso, Comune di Venezia Assessorato alle Politiche Sociali e Informahandicap a cura di AIAS Venezia - Venezia, 1996

Welcome without barriers - video tape, Fondation Nestlé Pro Gastronomia, Switzerland, 1996

Source:http://www.info-handicap.lu/freedom/biblio.html

Manifest Accessibility -- A New Article at Suite 101.com

Manifest Accessibility is an editorial on the current US Supreme Court case, Spector et. al vs. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. posted today at Suite 101.com.

See:

Manifest Accessibility
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/18423/114545

Update: NCL Accessibility
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000350.html

US Supreme Court & Cruise Ships
http://www.rollingrains.com/archives/000336.html

Universal Design in India

The Financial Times interviews several leaders in India who deserve greater worlwide attention for their innovation and vision. See:

Design for the disabled: Small changes can make a difference
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=84491

Universal Design in Chile: Viajar sin Barreras

El sitio de Viajar sin Barreras

Del sitio:

Esta Web pretende ser una guía de referencia para los discapacitados físicos que deseen viajar, en donde los que hemos visitado lugares, comentemos todos los aspectos que creamos importantes para que quienes viajen a ese lugar puedan tener en cuenta aspectos tan importantes como sitios accesibles, como moverse en silla de ruedas por ese lugar, etc...

Inclusive Design in the UK

Here are links to two articles at The Design Council in the UK on Inclusive Design:

Raising the Standard
http://designcouncil.org.uk/webdav/servlet/XRM?Page/@id=6009&Document/@id=8563

About: Inclusive Design
by Roger Coleman
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/webdav/servlet/XRM?Page/@id=6004&Section/@id=1354

Steve Jacobs @ IDEAL on "Unexpected Users of Universal Design"

Steve Jacobs at the IDEAL Group is studying "unexpected users" who benefit from Universal Design. Part of the ongoing worldwide effort to quantify the impact of Universal Design, this project can be glimpsed at:

http://www.ideal-group.org/market_forces_preview_111104_files/frame.htm

See also:

http://www.ideal-group.org/ecc

Update: NCL Accessibility

The legal battle makes the news:

Source:

http://www.scotusblog.com/movabletype/archives/2005/03/todays_news_tue_4.html

Inclusive Tourism Study of the EU

Received today:

The European Commission is going to publish a study titled "Improving information on accessible tourism for disabled people" In English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

The Commission is looking for appropriate agencies to receive the study (worldwide).

Contact:

Dr. Rüdiger Leidner
European Commission
Bureau SC 27 2/03
B-1049 Brussels
Phone: +32 2 29-62504
Fax: +32 2 2956969

Or e-mail:

Scott Rains
srains [AT] oco [DOT] net

Foucault and the Government of Disability

The University of Michigan Press is about to release a new book of essays on Foucault and disability.

It is available at http://www.press.umich.edu/special/tremain05.html

Foucault and the Government of Disability

Edited by Shelley Tremain
Foreword by Ladelle McWhorter

February 2005, 360 pages
paperback ISBN 0-472-06876-8

Foucault and the Government of Disability is the first collection of essays to consider the relevance of Foucault to the phenomenon of disability, and the significance of disability studies to understanding and interpreting Foucault. This provocative international collection is a response to Foucault's call to question what is regarded as natural, inevitable, ethical, and liberating; hence contributors draw on Foucault to scrutinize a range of widely endorsed practices and ideas surrounding disability, including rehabilitation, community care, impairment, normality and abnormality, inclusion, prevention, accommodation, and special education.

Shelley Tremain teaches in the Philosophy Department of the University of Toronto at Mississauga.

"A serious step forward not only for disability studies but for the range of theoretical positions associated with Foucault. Foucault and the Government of Disability will provide for years to come a basis for rethinking Foucault's impact on social theory as well as a foundation for active political struggle against the oppression of people with disabilities." -Tobin Siebers, University of Michigan

"Testimony to the enduring power of Foucault's work to stimulate new ways of thinking about and resisting the pernicious effects of normalization within modern societies. . . . Critically engaging Foucault as well as received interpretations of his work, this collection is intended for readers of Foucault as well as critical disability theorists. It delivers on its promise to stimulate us to think differently about both disability and Foucault."
-Jana Sawicki, Williams College

Series: Corporealities: Discourses of Disability

CONTENTS

Foreword by Ladelle McWhorter

Shelley Tremain
Foucault, Governmentality, and Critical Disability Theory: An Introduction

I. Epistemologies and Ontologies

Martin Sullivan
Subjected Bodies: Paraplegia, Rehabilitation, and the Politics of Movement

Nirmala Erevelles
Signs of Reason: Rivière, Facilitated Communication, and the Crisis of the
Subject

Scott Yates
Truth, Power, and Ethics in Care Services for People with Learning
Difficulties

Bill Hughes
What Can A Foucauldian Analysis Contribute to Disability Theory?

Barry Allen
Foucault's Nominalism

Fiona Kumari Campbell
Legislating Disability: Negative Ontologies and the Government of Legal
Identities

II. Histories

Licia Carlson
Docile Bodies, Docile Minds: Foucauldian Reflections on Mental Retardation

Jane Berger
Uncommon Schools: Institutionalizing Deafness in Early Nineteenth-Century
America

Diana Snigurowicz
The Phénomène's Dilemma: Teratology and the Policing of Human Anomalies in
Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Paris

III. Governmentalities

Anne Waldschmidt
Who is Normal? Who is Deviant? "Normality" and "Risk" in Genetic
Diagnostics and Counseling

Maarten Simons and Jan Masschelein
Inclusive Education for Exclusive Pupils: A Critical Analysis of the
Government of the Exceptional

Chris Drinkwater
Supported Living and the Production of Individuals

Carolyn Anne Anderson
Real and Ideal Spaces of Disability in American Stadiums and Arenas

Gerard Goggin and Christopher Newell
Foucault on the Phone: Disability and the Mobility of Government

IV. Ethics and Politics

Julie Allan
Inclusion as an Ethical Project

Kathryn Pauly Morgan
Gender Police

Index

The World Bank on Development and Disability

Following their two conferences on Development & Disability, the World Bank continues to exert leadership on the topic.

This month's World Bank Briefing Note continues the dialogue as well as collating important documents that have shaped the project. The Briefing Note can be valuable reading as a resource in maturing the discussion on the relationship between sustainable development and universal design, and reflecting on the significance of tourism.

From the introduction:

DISABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT AND THE WORLD BANK

--A Briefing Summary on February 2, 2005--

Disability and Development (DD). Interest in inclusive development is growing within governments, civil society, and the development community, but efforts in these areas are hamstrung by the lack of research exploring the link between disability and poverty and evaluations of good practices. This lack results directly from the scarcity of quality data. Therefore, a main priority of the Disability and Development (DD) Team at the World Bank is being proactive in generating the type of information that can make inclusive development possible and helping the Bank to become a leader in this area.

Central to the success of our efforts is building partnerships with other development agencies. To that end the Bank has partnered with the UN, the IDB, OECD and others in data gathering efforts (see Attachment 3). As part of our broader strategy on building partnerships, a conference was convened in December 2004, titled “Disability and Inclusive Development: Sharing, Learning and Building Alliances” (see Attachment 1). This is part of an ongoing effort to build new partnerships.

This memo briefly summarizes what is known about disability prevalence and the relation between disability and poverty, and then outlines the World Bank’s activities in building a solid research base that can inform inclusive development.

Further Reading:
February 2005 Briefing Note