Rolling Rains Report:

Video on Disability

A Tool for designers to Simulate Disability

Reuters has done a story on the suit car designers use to to experience disability. See the full article but note this attention to market realities justifying Universal Design:

Launched in a rapidly graying nation where over 40 percent of the population is expected to be over 65 age by mid-century...

Over 40 percent of Nissan's Japanese and U.S. sales are to customers over 50 years old, according to the company.

Announcing the Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC)

I take his development to be a positive sign. This announcement was in my Inbox when I got home today:

The Global Universal Design Commission (GUDC) is a new non-profit organization that has been established to promote the adoption of universal design. It is modeled after the Green Building Council which has played an important role in increasing adoption of sustainable design practices in the building industry. Our intent is to address the need for greater usability in buildings in response to many social trends, e.g. the aging of society, globalization and social diversity.

Our first activity will be to develop voluntary guidance standards for applying universal design to commercial buildings. These standards will complement existing accessibility standards and regulations. In fact, we expect that no building will receive an accreditation from the GUDC if it does not meet accessibility regulations as a basic requirement and thus, our work will improve compliance with access laws. Like the GBC's LEED standards, the UD Standards will provide a rating system to accredit buildings that address higher levels of usability than accessibility codes and include issues beyond their scope.

The UD Standards will be flexible and allow each project to achieve accreditation in different ways in response to different conditions. Points will be awarded in different categories and there will be a graduated level of achievement based on a percentage of total points received. Neither the rating system nor the accreditation levels have been established, but work is underway on a preliminary draft that will be presented to the public at a kick-off meeting at the end of May. Attached is an announcement for that meeting. An open process will be used to develop the UD Standards, including the conceptual framework for the rating system and levels. The preliminary draft will simply be a point of departure.

We welcome your involvement in this process and the new Commission and hope that you will be able to attend the kick-off meeting for the standards development project.

*This activity is partially supported by the RERC on Universal Design and the Built Environment through funding from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

(Source: RERCUD-ENEWSLETTER-LIST@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU )

Note that this is something that we called for at ICAT 2007 in Bangkok and, although I was unaware of this initiative, the move toward standardization by industry was the pivotal "sign of the times" that my address to the gathering revolved around.

Invitation

Organizational Meeting:
Voluntary Standards Development Process for Universal Design (UD) in Commercial Development

Hosted by:

• Global Universal Design Commission, Inc.
• Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University
• Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA)
• National Council for Independent Living (NCIL)

As a member of the design, development, disability and/or aging communities, you are invited to attend the inaugural meeting of the Global Universal Design Commission, Inc., and join with other hosts to organize a consensus voluntary standard development process that accelerates the consistent, knowledge-driven translation and use of UD across commercial development and the built environment.

Sincerely,

Peter Blanck, Chairman, Global Universal Design Commission, Inc.
Ed Steinfeld, Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access
Graham Hill, Global Universal Design Forum, Inc. - Chair of Standards Development Committee

Date: May 30, 2008
10am – 1pm

Location: Carousel Mall
Sky Deck, 6th Floor
Syracuse, New York

Purpose: To organize and initiate the process to develop a consensus guidance standard for Universal Design (UD) in commercial development. UD is the design of the built environment and products to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Philippines: Access 2010 - First National Conference on Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities

The First National Conference on Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities March 27-28, 2008 at the Great Eastern Hotel, Quezon City, Philippines. The objectives of the conference were "to promote transport accessibility as an entry point to building a non-handicapping environment for persons with disabilities."

At the end of the Conference the participants shall have:

• Developed common inter-sectoral understanding and dialogue on public transport and accessibility issues.
• Linked the call for accessible transportation to efforts on creating non-handicapping public transport facilities and physical environments.
• Identified the consideration needed for drawing an intervention plan for increasing inter-sectoral partnership for transport and accessibility issues.
• Recommended measures to address the identified gaps and issues in the public transportation system that limits the mobility of persons with disabilities resulted from the regional transport summits held in 2007.
• Drawn and formulated a National Plan of Action for an accessible public transportation system for persons with disabilities in the country.

“ACCESS 2010”:

DECLARATION OF SUPPORT AND COMMITMENT

We, the participants of the Access 2010: First National Conference on Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities belonging to the government and the private sectors, declare to commit ourselves to work together in a common platform and uphold the principles of :

Respect for the dignity and rights of all persons with disabilities; and,

Empowering them to live independently and participate fully and equally in all aspects of community life especially the women with disabilities whose involvement in community activities have been undermined because of gender
biases and discriminations.

We pledge to participate actively and unfailingly in the implementation of the National Plan of Action for an Accessible Land, Rail, Air and Sea Public Transportation System for Persons with Disabilities in the country.

Further, we resolve in particular to achieve the following five-point action agenda in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, BIWAKO Millennium Framework for Action Towards an Inclusive, Barrier-Free and Rights-Based Society for Persons with Disabilities and the Accessibility Law:

1. Formulate strategies that will improve attitudes and behavior towards persons
with disabilities particularly in the public transport sector;

2. Undertake comprehensive review of accessibility standards for planning of
public transport systems, as well as universal vehicular standards for
indigenous public transport;

3. Provide opportunities for the development of a strong multi-sectoral
partnership for public transport accessibility;

4. Improve existing public transport systems and ensure new and renovated public
transport systems are accessible; and,

5. Provide education and training for public transportation stakeholders on
accessibility issues facing persons with disabilities.

To achieve this five-point agenda, the participants commit to undertake the following:

Assist in the development of an effective mechanism for the implementation and monitoring of laws and policies pertaining to the accessibility of transportation services provided to the public;

Review and amend existing policies, guidelines and standards on public transport systems as well as universal vehicular standards for indigenous public transport that restricts mobility resulting in the discrimination of persons with disabilities in the transport industry;

Actively support the development of a strong multi-sectoral partnership for public transport accessibility among government organizations, non-government organizations and the sector of persons with disabilities that will result in a pro-active public transportation industry responsive to the enjoyment of persons with disabilities of their rights as Filipino citizens;

Support the development of existing transport systems to include standards in the designs of vehicles and other transportation facilities as well as ensure that new and renovated public transport systems are accessible; and,

Provide continuing capability-building activities for public transportation stakeholders on accessibility for the effective implementation of guidelines/policies/standards as well as ensure that persons with disabilities have the same access and are treated in a dignified and non-discriminatory manner.

Finally, in support of the above five-point agenda, we urge all persons with disabilities to organize themselves in all levels of the political subdivisions of our country so that with one voice they can call for government’s affirmative action in pursuit of the attainment of the objectives of this Declaration.

Signed this 28th day of March 2008 at Great Eastern Hotel, Quezon City.

Undersecretary Anneli R. Lontoc –DOTC
Asst. Secretary Elmer A. Soneja – DOTC
Director Ildefonso T. Patdu, Jr. - DOTC
Undersecretary Rosie Lovely Romulo –NCDA
Asst. Secretary Nora Salazar – NCDA
Michael P. Davies – CBM-Seapro
ies

Comment: Inclusive Access for Greek Citizens and Tourists

By Ivor Ambrose, European Network for Accessible Tourism

Mrs. Waterman, who wrote to Athens News (Letters to the Editor, 14 March 2008) is, of course, absolutely right. Her husband has a medical condition preventing him from climbing stairs. But when travelling on a Greek ferry they were initially refused access to the lift to take them from the car deck to the passenger decks, as Mr. Waterman does not have a disability permit nor does he use a wheelchair, both of which, they were told, are required by “The Regulations”. Only after a hefty argument were they allowed to take the lift, and then only with the unsettling message that this was an exception, not to be repeated.

The regulations for carrying passengers in lifts may have made sense to the team of bureaucrats who penned them but in applying the rule in practice, common sense is thrown overboard, the ship’s captain becomes a sea monster and the fare-paying passengers have the prospect of experiencing what should be a delightful Mediterranean sea journey from the confines of the ship’s bilges.

Continued -

This sad episode has probably been replicated many times all over Greece. I have a similar lift-regulation-experience from the Acropolis of Athens, a World Heritage Site, which was made accessible for “People with Special Needs” in 2004 by means of a remarkable stair lift and a near-vertical lift which scales the western wall of the edifice. In 2005 I visited the Acropolis with a group of international experts in Accessible Tourism, three of whom use wheelchairs. The walkers in our group took the main path while the wheelchair users were directed to the lift entrance. As our party included a Greek mother with two small children, one sitting in a pushchair, she followed the wheelchair group towards the lift entrance. However, she was refused access to the lift as the guards (- it is hard to call them assistants) told her she was not considered a “Person with Special Needs”, and was therefore not allowed to use the lift. She was left waiting outside, unable to enter the Acropolis at all. At the top we also met an elderly American lady who had struggled to make the long climb with a recently sprained ankle, (twisted, unfortunately, on an Athenian pavement). She had not been informed of the lift access at the main gate, she told us, but had noticed the elevator at the top and asked if she could use it to descend. ‘The lift is only for wheelchair users’, said the two lift attendants. Do you have a disability permit? No, of course she did not! On their refusal, with her painful ankle and her feelings also hurt, she turned and took the long walk down. Certainly, this was an unforgettable tourist experience of Greece!

The lessons of these examples go far beyond the immediate issue of inconvenience and degrading treatment inflicted on the unfortunate passengers and tourists who find themselves on the wrong side of the ‘exclusive’ Greek lift regulations.

The well-known Greek term “Ατομα με Ειδικές Ανάγκες” (A.M.E.A.) – Persons with Special Needs – was defined ten years ago in the Accessibility Guidelines of the Hellenic Ministry of Environment to include: persons with permanent or temporary functional impairments… as well as persons who may be frail, such as those of the third or fourth age, and people of large or small physical stature and also those who, for example carry heavy luggage. [1]

The Greek Accessibility Guidelines take the needs of disabled people as the yardstick for inclusive design, which aims to make environments accessible and usable for all, meaning both disabled and non-disabled persons. It was these guidelines which, along with the national building regulations and transport regulations, so successfully produced the accessibility provisions for visitors and spectators at the Athens 2004 Olympic and Paralympic Games. This makes it all the more puzzling that the present lift regulation goes against the official policy of an inclusive approach to the design and use of lifts. This deserves to be investigated, clarified, and possibly corrected. Is it the regulation itself which is at fault or the lack of awareness and training among those who should apply it? Or perhaps a bit of both?

A well-designed, accessible environment, when managed correctly, is good for all people, and it makes full participation in travel and social life possible for those with disabilities. Lifts, ramps and spoken announcements of train stations on the Metro are all examples of features that make mobility easier for everyone. But if the regulatory authorities and those in charge of transport or visitor attractions lack awareness of customers’ access needs, then the best designed facilities in the world will not give full benefit to all users.

Spreading greater awareness about accessibility and the best means of achieving it for everyone is the primary aim of the ‘European Network for Accessible Tourism’ (ENAT), a non-profit association registered in Brussels with its Secretariat in Halandri, Athens. ENAT was formed with European Union support in 2006 by a group of nine organisations, including the Hellenic Ministry of Tourism, VisitBritain and disability NGOs from six EU Member States, including the Greek ΝGΟ ‘Disability Now’ (ΑΝΑΠΗΡΙΑ ΤΩΡΑ). ENAT now has over 440 members in 52 countries. The members include tourism and travel enterprises, policy makers, national authorities, tourism education and training bodies, user organisations, professionals and some individuals. The network is actively sharing information about good accessibility practices in every area of tourism though the website www.accessibletourism.org and by means of international events and publications.

For those in the tourism industry the most compelling reasons to take note of the accessibility issue are to do with the demographic ageing of the populations of Europe and other western economies, which is reflected in rising numbers of older tourists around the world. The 55+ age group is the fastest growing inbound market segment in the UK. They spend more, stay longer and travel throughout the year, as opposed to younger age groups. These tourists, who may have small impairments or health problems as they get older, might not call themselves ‘disabled’ but they certainly want to continue travelling. And they have expectations about good accessibility at airports, in hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and of course in planes, ferries, buses and taxis.

The University of Surrey School of Tourism Management estimated in 2005 that the ‘accessible tourism market’ of older and disabled people and their families, (as these customers don’t usually travel alone), amounts to around 130 million people in Europe alone, with a potential revenue of some 80 million Euro per year.

ENAT wants these customers to enjoy travel in Europe and we want to help tourism providers meet this challenge, competently and with confidence. The task requires networking and greater use of standards for accessible infrastructure and staff training, as well as partnerships between tourism enterprises, the public sector and user organisations, to build the right frameworks and leverage this growing market.

Here in Greece, tackling lack of awareness about customers’ access needs and rights, and removing access barriers should be an ongoing and urgent priority of all actors – the public regulators, enterprises, Chambers of Commerce, trade associations, passenger transport businesses and others – both for the good of citizens living in Greece and the millions of visitors who come here to experience the best that Greece has to offer. The job of making Greece accessible wasn’t finished in 2004. There is much more to be done!

Of course, customers’ needs are one thing, their rights are another. Those who manage public places and provide services for payment, such as archaeological sites and ferry transport, must actively avoid discriminating against any groups of citizens who have the same right to access. Paying customers should be given the same level of service, wherever possible. In practical terms it does not make sense to distinguish between the access rights of local citizens and the rights of visitors from other countries, who have paid to enjoy the same services, nor between ‘able-bodied’ and disabled visitors. Such discrepancies run contrary to UN human rights policies, and it is worth noting that consumer protection legislation is moving inexorably against such unequal treatment both in European Union countries and the rest of the world.

Perhaps the most important lesson from Mr. and Mrs. Waterman’s ferry boat experience is that all of those who are engaged in the tourism and travel industry, from the policy makers to the deck-hand, must pay attention to the demands of all those customers who need good access, otherwise the market will either simply go elsewhere or, taking the other tack, we might expect a burgeoning growth of legal proceedings against providers – or the State - on the grounds of discriminatory practices. Far better then, to meet access demands with improved information, better awareness and infrastructure that is designed for and usable by all citizens.

Ivor Ambrose is Managing Director of the European Network for Accessible Tourism

[1] Greek Accessibility Guidelines, Ministry of Environment (1998) in Greek only. http://www.minenv.gr/1/16/162/16203/g1620300.html

From Tourism-Review.com

A special issue of the magazine Ethical has been published on Barrier-Free Tourism. The 13 page pdf download is available here.

Articles include:

Tourism Accessible for All in Europe
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For those who associate tourism only with holiday and leisure and luxury it should be mentioned that tourism is a sector of remarkable economic importance. The European tourism economy contributes to about 5 % (depending on its definition up to 11 %) to the GDP of the European Union and provides between 8 and 24 million jobs (depending on the definition of the sector). Furthermore, it should be taken into account that tourism is indispensably linked with travel...

Case Study: Economic Advantages of Accessible Tourism in Germany
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In November 2002 Germany's Federal Ministry of Economics and Labour commissioned a project group, comprising the University of Münster and the consulting firms NEUMANNCONSULT and Reppel + Lorenz, to conduct a study on the economic impulses of accessible Tourism for All. For the first time reliable data and statements were brought together, which represent the customer’s potential and manner regarding accessible Tourism in Germany...

Merging Architecture and Accessibility
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In the Nordic countries, improving disabled people's access to museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions has been an important consideration for a number of years. It is evident that museum buildings and the way displayed objects are presented should embrace all visitors; one of the challenges confronting museums at the turn of the twenty-first century is to ensure the greatest possible accessibility for all without compromising the architectural expression...

Providing Services in an Accessible Manner
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Access is about the absence of barriers to the use of facilities. Although this is usually seen in terms of physical access or access to informa¬tion and communication, poorly trained staff can represent a serious barrier for disabled people if they are unable to provide services in an appropriate, non-discriminatory way...
Barrier-Free Asia?

Donald Hawkins on Geotourism as Eco-Sensitive, Pro-Poor, Gender Fair, Peacemaking -- and Someday Inclusive

Dr. Donald Hawkins is interviewed at the Ashoka Geotourism Challenge. He gives a good overview of how ecotourism is morphing into geotourism and cites some of the necessary alliances -- pro-poor tourism and gender equity. Apparently we need to do more public education about the economic realities of disability and Article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) for the disability community to regularly be cited in the litany of the ecosystem of geotourism allies:

While ecotourism is still associated with the natural environment, there is now a sensitivity to the cultural dimension as well, and strong emphasis on engaging and involving the communities that surround very valued, high-quality cultural and natural resources. This is one of the challenges we have in the years ahead: we have more work to do in finding ways of tapping into tourism—which is really the largest ever transfer of wealth from rich to the poorer countries. ... is there potential for creating more business-related activities—such as tours, interpretation, facilities, or ecolodges—where consumers pay for services rendered and the money then sticks within the local communities in gateways near the protected areas?

He goes on to answer Lou D'Amore's question and the one we addressed in the Ecumenical Council on Tourism's anniversary issue of the Contours journal:

Can tourism be used to address the causes of conflict and war?

What we really need is the freedom to travel anywhere we want in the world, and to be safe and secure. Freedom to travel, and safety and security, are probably the main concerns that people who live in these places are concerned about too.

Then there’s the whole education side of travel. It is such an intensive opportunity to learn and gain practical exposure to the world. We certainly need more of that people-to-people contact in this day and age where there is so much conflict.

Now we are bringing together Lou D’Amore’s International Institute For Peace Through Tourism and the Institute for Corporate Responsibility (ICR), a new institute that has been created at the GW School of Business, to collaborating. They will be offering a symposium in May titled “Peace Through Commerce, Tapping the Potential of the Global Travel Industry.”

For the full interview:

http://www.changemakers.net/node/7069

"Sorry Mate, Wheelchairs Only"

Freedom By Design

Architectural Record notes the Freedom by Design project to bring Universal Desgn experience to a new generation of architects:

Michael Graves, FAIA, has channeled many avatars during his career, from one of the academically minded New York Five in the 1970s, to a populist product designer for the retailer Target. After a bacterial infection paralyzed him from the waist down in 2003, the now wheelchair-bound (sic) architect works to be a champion of universal design, a movement that advocates creating spaces and products that any person, regardless of physical ability, can use.

The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) recently appointed Graves as the honorary chair of its “Beyond Architecture” campaign, which seeks to establish a $2 million endowment to support its Freedom By Design program (FBD), among other initiatives. FBD enlists architecture students to renovate houses for low-income and disabled people. The AIAS had already raised half of its goal as of January, when Graves joined, and it hopes that his affiliation will be a driving force in raising the remaining amount.

Source:
http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/080317graves.asp

Indicorps

Tourism and accessibility awareness are on the rise throughout India. Could a Rolling Rains reader become a 2008-2009 Indicorps Fellow and in the process gain the competencies needed to eventually develop a truly sustainable Inclusive Tourism project in India? Why not?

Indicorps is a non-profit organization that offers opportunities for aspiring young leaders of Indian-origin to engage in intense grassroots development projects through one or two-year public service fellowships. We are currently recruiting soon-to-be college graduates and professionals of Indian origin for our August 2008-2009 Fellowship.

Indicorps seeks to engage the most talented young Indians from around the world on the frontlines of India's most pressing challenges; in the process, we aim to nurture a new brand of socially conscious leaders with the character, knowledge, commitment, and vision to transform India and the world.

From Indicorps

Why Now?

We are currently recruiting soon-to-be college graduates and professionals of Indian origin for our August 2008-2009 Fellowship. There are over 50 exciting community-based projects ranging from educating tribal youth in Maharashtra to increasing production of natural dye based products in Karnataka.

Why Indicorps?

• The structured program encourages young professionals from the Indian diaspora to challenge their comfort zones, place others' interests before their own, push their own potential to affect change, explore their relationship with India, and understand what it means to lead by committing themselves to innovative grassroots projects.

• Indicorps believes that giving one's time and energy, without any attachment to the outcome, regardless of the circumstances, is an unparalleled personal experience in service. At the same time, the fellowship is a chance for fellows to address their own identity, recognize their personal boundaries, and understand how to produce change in their environment(s). The fellowship is deeply rewarding, a transformational and challenging personal journey, and part of Indicorps’ collective experiment for change.

• Indicorps firmly believes that contributing to the development of India at a grassroots level will help Indians around the world better understand their heritage, explore ways to strengthen the global Indian community, and encourage civic responsibility at home in their respective countries. Indicorps focuses on the Diaspora in order to foster a sense of responsibility within the Indian community.

Deadline: Applications are due March 31st, 2008.

Contact: If you have any questions or need any more information, please contact Shilpa Shah (outreach@indicorps.org) or visit (http://www.indicorps.org)

Modern Language association Call for Papers: "Disability and Human Rights"

Call for Papers: Session Sponsored by the Modern Language Association (MLA) Committee on Disability Issues in the Profession, MLA Annual Convention, San Francisco, Calif. -- December 27-30, 2008

"Disability and Human Rights"

In recent years, disability scholars and activists have increasingly
turned to the language of human rights as a framework for advocating
and understanding the ethical claims of the disability rights movement
and the aims of politicizing disability as a social justice project.
For many, the appeal of such an approach lies in large part with its
explicitly inclusive reach; for to speak of "disability rights" as
"human rights" insists that disability matters are universal concerns
rather than "special needs."

Correlatively, this holistic and integrative approach to disability has also been promoted by the international human rights community. For their political project, incorporating disability under the rubric of human rights consolidates a more robust and expansive framework for the politics of "rights", as it reflects the postulate that, in the words of a 2002 report sponsored by the United Nations, "civil and political rights, on the one hand, and economic, social and cultural rights, on the other, are interdependent and interrelated."

This special session, sponsored by the MLA?s standing committee on
Disability Issues in the Professions, invites papers that explore the
intersections of disability rights and analysis in terms of the
political language of human rights. We seek papers that historicize,
theorize, or chronicle this development in any national or global
contexts. We are especially interested in papers that consider the
linkage of disability and human rights as it implicates or is
implicated in the contemporary critique of the human rights
political project as implicitly individualistic, universalizing,
Western, and colonial. Papers may address cultural histories, legal
discourse, critical theory, literature, visual culture, public policy,
and/or the academic profession. We are especially interested in
considerations that engage global concerns and would additionally
welcome responses to from feminist, queer, or postcolonial theoretical
perspectives.

Possible topics include:
-- the language of "disability", the language of "human rights"
-- disability-based response to the challenge of cultural relativism
and other critiques of international human rights project
-- representations of "disability rights" as "human rights" in
literature, art,
performance, or film
-- disability rights in academic contexts
-- legal texts, such as treaties, constitutions, cases, etc.
-- disability and the construction of the human
-- conceptualizations of the post-human or non-human
-- issues of political and cultural praxis
-- transnational contexts and comparative approaches
-- cultural historical and critical legal approaches
-- discourses of "dignity" and "inclusion"
-- the critical/political limits of "rights" discourse (i.e., how
"rights" function as "norms")
-- human rights, civil rights, and citizenship

Please send abstracts of 250-300 words and a short (2 page) CV with
updated contact information by March 28 to:

Dr. Eden Osucha (English, Bates College) by email at eosucha@bates.edu

Note: Panelists must become members of the MLA by April 7

Why Wireless is an Inclusive Travel Issue

Wireless technology and its impact on people with disabilities is the focus of study for the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC). Below is a press release explaining results from a new survey they have done. For the purposes of the Rolling Rains' central topic -- travel, disability, & Universal Design -- this finding seemed key:

* Explaining why wireless devices are important to them, survey participants cited convenience and a sense of security - much like the general population. But they also noted that wireless devices often serve as assistive technologies. For example, one respondent noted, “The camera helps me remember things.” Another participant reported that with the texting feature, “I can communicate with hearing people, like hearing people use cell phones.”

Mirroring a trend among the general public, an increasing number of people with disabilities regularly use wireless technologies, including cell phones - and find them easier to use.

But a number of people with disabilities cite a need for improved functionality of wireless devices, such as a feature to enable service dogs to call for help in an emergency, according to the initial results of a survey funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).

Wireless device ownership increased 13 percent - from 72 to 85 percent - among people with disabilities from the first generation of the survey of user needs - conducted from 2001 to 2007 - and the current survey, which began in April 2007. Also, more than three-fourths of respondents last year reported that their wireless devices are easy or very easy to use, compared to only half of those who responded to the earlier survey. Still, 73 percent said they likely would change wireless service providers, if necessary, to get additional features that enhance accessibility.

“The data these consumers share through our research helps our wireless industry partners meet customers’ needs and also helps identify applications useful to people without disabilities,” said survey project director Jim Mueller of the Wireless Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC), a collaboration between Atlanta-based Shepherd Center and the Georgia Institute of Technology. “We are not encouraging the wireless companies to make special products. We want products that will work for everyone.”

The RERC, which received its second, multi-year grant from NIDRR in 2007, promotes equitable access to wireless technologies and encourages adoption of universal design -design that benefits users of all ages and abilities - in future generations of wireless devices and applications.

The 1,208 people who completed the RERC survey in 2007 are representative of a large portion of the estimated 40 million Americans with disabilities, researchers noted. They compared the demographics of survey respondents to the U.S. Census and noted that 77 percent of respondents are 25-61 years of age; 5 percent are younger; 18 percent are older.

Researchers are comparing and contrasting the initial results from the current survey to the RERC’s previous user-needs survey of 1,200 people. Also, they are tracking trends among 165 people who have participated in both studies. In addition, researchers are comparing their results to findings reported by other wireless industry groups in 2007.

Here are some highlights from the analysis:

* Comparing the earlier survey results to the current responses, researchers found that respondents who use their wireless devices every day increased from 40 to 65 percent. Those who consider their wireless devices “very important” increased from 60 to 77 percent.
* Explaining why wireless devices are important to them, survey participants cited convenience and a sense of security - much like the general population. But they also noted that wireless devices often serve as assistive technologies. For example, one respondent noted, “The camera helps me remember things.” Another participant reported that with the texting feature, “I can communicate with hearing people, like hearing people use cell phones.”
* Among respondents to the survey last year, 77 percent said they are satisfied, very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their current wireless provider.
* About 68 percent of 2007 survey respondents said they are satisfied, very satisfied or extremely satisfied with their present wireless devices.
* The most important wireless functions cited by survey participants are: voice communication, 78 percent; Enhanced 911, 45 percent; text messaging, 43 percent; e-mail, 41 percent; and Internet access, 35 percent.
* The most important handset features to these users are: long battery life, 63 percent; durability and toughness, 61 percent; low cost, 57 percent; and simple operation, 56 percent.
* Survey respondents suggested some additional features they would like to have in a wireless device: “feature to enable service dog to call for help in emergency”; “ability to switch to voice carry-over during call (in case voice becomes unintelligible or environmental noise is too great)”; and “[ability to] scan and speak medication labels.”
* Survey respondents also commented on ways to make wireless devices easier to use. Their comments related to: incompatibility with assistive technologies, especially hearing aids or cochlear implants, design of the handset, including their difficulties holding it, seeing the display, and manipulating the controls.

People with disabilities may participate through 2011 in the RERC survey, which is available online at http://www.wirelessrerc.org. The survey is also available by phone and in print. For more information, call 800-582-6360, send email to rerc@wirelessrerc.org or send correspondence via regular mail to:

Wireless RERC Research Coordinator
Crawford Research Institute
Shepherd Center
2020 Peachtree Road NW
Atlanta, GA 30309.

About Shepherd Center
Shepherd Center is a private, not-for-profit hospital devoted to the medical care and rehabilitation of people with spinal cord injury and disease, acquired brain injury, multiple sclerosis and other neuromuscular problems. Each year Shepherd Center admits more than 750 patients and conducts thousands of outpatient clinic visits. For more information, visit Shepherd Center online at http://www.shepherd.org.

http://www.shepherd.org

Changemaker's Geotourism Competition

Changemakers, a project of Ashoka, launched their Geotourism Challenge on January 31, 2008. There are many Rolling Rains Report readers who will know of and may even run projects that would be excellent nominees for this project.

Head over to their nomination form and let them know about Inclusive Tourism by adding your nomination:

http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/geotourismchallenge/nominate/2104

"Nominate your favorite example of geotourism -- defined by National Geographic as tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place: its environment, heritage, culture, aesthetics, and the well-being of its residents."

In the Changemaker Library you will find such helpful documents as, "The Tourism Industry and Poverty Reduction:
A Business Primer" a Pro-poor tourism briefing

Trends: UD, Housing, and Gerontechnology

One of the theses of this site is that as Universal Design moves into the mainstream it will have wider social impact than ever imagined when it was invented as part of the civil rights era in the US.

As a philosophy of liberation at its core that should not be surprising but the actual interplay of historical factors shaping the development and spread of his approach to building for humans-as-they-are is fascinating. I have written an article, Culture and the Future of Universal Design, for Design for All India on the need to study how various cultures accept, reject, or transform Universal Design. The following entry from the AGIS site entitled Housing and Technology illustrates one example of Universal Design become situated in broader historical trends. Here UD is placed in a discussion of aging, smart homes, and gerontechnology:

Each generation or cohort of aging individuals reaching older adulthood will also bring their experience, education, lifestyle, human associations and connections, and their needs and desires with them as they age. Computerphobia, and technophobia in general, will eventually evaporate, even if it remains in the post–World War II generation. Indeed, discretionary income among older adults is generally high, and housing purchases of single-family dwellings at the upper end of the price spectrum is, and will remain, a purchase made mainly by older adults. With those housing purchases come all of the opportunities for technology; both that which is part of the original purchase and that acquired after purchase. Technology and affluence go hand-in-hand. The acquisition of goods and services, however, is made by older adults only if they meet certain lifestyle requirements.

Have the product development professions, technology innovators, and the homebuilders begun to anticipate new markets for houses, consumer products, and technologies? Those who generate technology have begun, albeit late in the game, to see the demographic changes that are coming, and they have established a variety of approaches to make their product development efforts inclusive. Universal design is an approach that recognizes the diversity of the world population. This philosophy of designing encompasses the diversity brought about by recognizing aging, the expansion of the racial and ethnic base, and the increasing prevalence of individuals with both moderate and severe disabilities, in the population (Covington and Hannah). Another philosophy of design is referred to as transgenerational design (Pirkl). Transgenerational design extends the human factors associated with product development to include characteristics of normal age related change. Theoretically, inclusiveness of this kind offsets disability. In both philosophic approaches, disability can be measured as the difference between a person's ability to cope with his or her environment with and without the support of technology. For many older adults, technology can be the difference between continuous participation in all forms of activity or exclusion from the spectrum of activities that give meaning and enhance and invigorate all people throughout life.

Further reading:

http://www.agis.com/Document/211/housing-and-technology.aspx

Cursos de Formación sobre Turismo Accesible (Spanish)

La Cátedra Ocio y Discapacidad, del Instituto de Estudios de Ocio de la Universidad de Deusto, organiza e imparte 28 Cursos de Formación sobre Turismo Accesible para profesionales, en 25 ciudades. Patrocinados por la Secretaría General de Turismo y el Fondo Social Europeo, los cursos son de carácter gratuito para los profesionales del sector turístico.

Desde Turismo Polibea:

El Instituto de Estudios de Ocio de la Universidad de Deusto nace como proyecto en 1988. Su objetivo es estudiar la incidencia y creciente relevancia que adquiere el ocio en la sociedad actual. Desde el inicio se caracteriza por su naturaleza interdisciplinar, conectado a los planteamientos académicos internacionales, así como por la defensa de un ocio humanista, es decir, un ocio impulsor de desarrollo personal y social. Su cometido es la investigación, documentación y formación en los temas relacionados con los múltiples contextos en los que se realiza el ocio: Cultura, Turismo, Deporte, y Recreación.

El proyecto Cátedra Ocio y Discapacidad es la expresión de uno de los objetivos del Instituto, la defensa del Derecho al ocio de todo ciudadano. Su realización fue posible gracias al convenio de colaboración firmado por primera vez en 1994 y renovado trienalmente hasta el 2004, entre la Organización Nacional de Ciegos de España (O.N.C.E.), la Fundación ONCE y la Universidad de Deusto. La Cátedra es un foro de encuentro desde el que se pretende dar a conocer nuevas propuestas relacionadas con el libre ejercicio y disfrute del ocio de las personas con discapacidad. Su finalidad es el impulso de actividades docentes, investigadoras, documentales y de difusión de los estudios relacionados con su área de interés. Para ello, la Cátedra colabora con los agentes sociales implicados en estos temas, apoyando la labor que realizan y generando nuevas iniciativas. En octubre de 2000 el Proyecto se denomina Cátedra ONCE Ocio y Discapacidad (antes Cátedra Ocio y Minusvalías). En el año 2004 el proyecto pasa a llamarse Cátedra Ocio y Discapacidad, del Instituto de Estudios de Ocio de la Universidad de Deusto . La línea de trabajo Ocio y Discapacidad está consolidada y reconocida en el ámbito universitario, el equipo de la Cátedra continua desarrollando su labor centrada fundamentalmente en la Investigación, Formación y Consultoría. Centra todos sus esfuerzos en el conocimiento exhaustivo y el desarrollo de herramientas que garanticen el ejercicio del derecho al ocio en todas las personas con discapacidad.

Logo Ministerio Industria Comercio. Pulsar para ampliar imagenPatrocinado por el Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio( Secretaría General de Turismo) y por el Fondo Social Europeo, el Programa Formativo para el fomento de la accesibilidad en los destinos y empresas turísticas consta de 28 cursos impartidos en 25 ciudades del estado español y está dirigido a profesionales y empresarios/as del sector turístico que quieran mejorar la calidad de los servicios, establecimientos y destinos turísticos y ahondar en la accesibilidad como factor de calidad de la oferta turística.

Cada sesión contará con un máximo de 20 participantes, y los/las alumnos/as tendrán acceso, además de a las sesiones presenciales, a la herramienta del Campus Virtual a través de la cual podrán profundizar en los materiales propuestos, realizar tutorías personalizadas con el equipo docente y acceder en los foros de discusión habilitados para los participantes.

La inscripción deberá realizarse a través de la página www.turismoaccesible.deusto.es en el apartado de inscripción (columna izquierda). Esta página web será el sitio de referencia actualizado para el alumno e incluirá cualquier cambio o información relevante sobre el programa y sus cursos. Asimismo se puede solicitar información en ocio@ocio.deusto.es

Cursos previstos en el mes de Febrero.

Oviedo
Tarde y mañana, días 12 y 13

Tarragona
Tarde y mañana, días 27 y 28

Girona
Tarde y mañana, días 27 y 28

Barcelona 1
Día entero, 29-02-2008

Barcelona 2
Día entero 29-02-2008

Universidad de Deusto
Avenida de las Universidades, 24
48007 Bilbao
Tel. 94 413 90 00
e-mail ocio@ocio.deusto.es

Instituto de Estudios de Ocio
ocio@ocio.deusto.es
Tel: 94 413 90 75 (Xabier Landabidea)
www.ocio.deusto.es

Rolling Rains Report on SlideShare.net

SlideShare.net began as an archive for posting and sharing digital slide shows. It quickly expanded into a social network with the capability to add sound to slide shows as SlideCasts. SlideShare is a valuable tool for virtualizing participation in conferences before, during, and after the event.

For example, I upload a slide show that I will use in a conference presentation so that I can either play it from the server or download it at the other end. I also extend the discussion from an event by forming a group such as the one to the right entitled "Universal Design."

| View | Upload your own

Rolling Rains Report readers with slide shows invited to share them and join the group.

Anthropometry - Humans in Space/Humans in the Divesity of Their Functinal Abilities

Anthropometry and biomechanics lie behind the advances that Universal Design has offered society in general and that Inclusive Tourism has offered travelers in particular. For a handbook overview of the two fields this NASA site is helpful: http://msis.jsc.nasa.gov/sections/section03.htm

Survey on Media and People With Disabilities

We received the following request for participants in a research project conducted by Anna Pakman entitled, Media Consumption & People with Disabilities.

My name is Anna Pakman and I am a first year MBA student at Columbia Business School. I am conducting a survey as primary research for my paper on Media Consumption & People with Disabilities for my Consumer Behavior class. I would appreciate it if you could take a few minutes of your time to answer some questions about your consumption of television, film, Internet, and radio programming. As you probably know, the Nielsen ratings track media consumption for just about every population EXCEPT our community so the only way I can get this data is through your assistance. All individual survey responses are anonymous and will be kept strictly confidential.

You may access the survey at:

http://withtv.typepad.com/weblog/2008/02/survey-media-co.html

The deadline for filling this out is March 31, 2008. Please feel free to forward this on to any and all individuals and organizations that may have an interest in completing the survey or getting their constituents to do so.

Should you have any further questions please feel free to contact me at apakman09@gsb.columbia.edu If the survey presents any problems for those using screen reading software please let me know and I can figure out another way to get it to you. Unfortunately, I need to use Qualtrics as it is the only surveying software provided by Columbia University and I have no control as to how accessible/unaccessible it is. If you have a lot of trouble, please record your problems and e-mail them to me so I can forward it on to our IT people who can then relay this feedback to the vendor.

Thanks in advance for your time.

Regards,

Anna Pakman
MBA Class of 2009

Go Abroad with Mobility International USA: June 27 - July 12, 2008

One of the most important experiences of my teen years was as an exchange student in Guatemala. Later, in college in Brazil, I returned home leaving unused more than a year's scholarship at the University of Sao Paulo due to inaccessibility of the campus.

If you know anyone who is eligible for this wonderful opportunity to study in Central America pass it along:

Go Abroad with Mobility International USA June 27 to July 12, 2008

Application Deadline: Friday, March 28, 2008

Generous Scholarships Available!

Applications available online now

First time travelers with disabilities who are between 18-24 years old, from cultural minority and low-income backgrounds are encouraged to apply

For more information:
apply@miusa.org
or
541-343-1284 (tel/tty)

Bangladesh: Assistive Technology for the PWDs

The article below was forwarded to me by Disabled People's International. It provides a useful introduction to the basics of Adaptive or "Assistive" Technology.

Disablement, needless to say, significantly reduces the life quality of a person as it substantially diminishes their work ability. Assistive or adaptive technology, however, can bring back the individual's employability at an acceptable level.

Unfortunately, most people, even the disabled themselves, in the third world countries are not aware that assistive technology may become their real friend in assisting them in everyday life. I would like to highlight in this article some assistive technologies for different types of disabilities; before that it is worth mentioning what an assistive technology means.

There is no specific definition of Assistive Technology (AT). It simply denotes any item, piece of equipment, or system that is used to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

The definition does not necessarily imply that AT must include computers, or that it must be expensive, or that certain medical professionals can only prescribe it. This definition permits AT to be restricted by your own creativity and imagination.

The followings represent samples of the many types of AT, grouped by the nature of a user's disability, that are available.

AT for visual impairments
Visually impaired users face a great challenge when interacting with graphical user interfaces. Typically, they use software applications known as screen readers that turn the texts, events, and elements in applications and websites into synthesised speech. For example, when a user opens a new window in Microsoft Internet Explorer, a screen reader such as JAWS (Job Access with Speech) or Home Page Reader might say "new browser window".

A physically challenged person, I took part in a specialised training program last year, where 19 other physically challenged people also participated. Of them, 12 were visually challenged. I observed with sheer astonishment how my visually impaired friends worked smoothly on computer using screen reader software like JAWS or FSB reader. They used special key combinations to move around screen in order to direct the screen what to read. By listening to this speech, they were able to understand a screen's content.

Another AT for the visually challenged is refreshable Braille display, which may be used as an alternative to screen reader. These devices convert screen text into Braille and display the Braille on a number of cells comprised of independently controlled pins. When editing and reviewing text, refreshable Braille displays can be much better to work with because a vision-impaired user can easily reread characters on the same line and check spelling. Screen readers are capable of reading words character by character, but the process of moving backwards in text to review and then moving forwards can be cumbersome. Despite their potential advantage, refreshable Braille displays are less common due to their higher cost.

In addition, a Braille embosser converts computer-generated text into embossed Braille output. Braille translation programs convert text scanned in or generated via standard word processing programs into Braille, which can be printed on the embosser. The results on thick paper are the individual dots that constitute Braille characters.

However, choice of appropriate hardware and software will depend on the user's level of functional vision. Put another way, it relies on the intensity of impairment. For example, low-vision users can use hardware such as large monitors, adjustable task lamp, Copyholder, closed circuit television, modified cassette recorder, and scanner to improve visibility. Moreover, this can be helpful to people who have difficulty reading or seeing self-voicing applications such as talking web browsers.

AT for the hearing challenged
Although hearing impaired individuals encounter less accessibility than the visually challenged do, they face tremendous difficulty in terms of learning, job access and social inclusion. These are due to the traditional way of learning.

However, computer technology has emerged as blessing to the hearing impaired. As computer prompts such as spoken messages and beeps can be misunderstood or go unnoticed by hearing impaired individuals, this problem is solved through the use of tools that produce visual warning when the system plays a sound and/or display captions in place of a spoken message. Light signaller alerts the computer with light signals. This is useful when a computer user cannot hear computer sounds. As an example, a light can flash alerting the user when a new e-mail message has arrived or a computer command has completed.

In addition, hearing impaired person can use TTY/TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf), which is an electronic device for text communication via a telephone line, telecare, closed captioning, teletext and multimedia projector to address accessibility problem. Moreover, newer text-based communication methods such as short message service (SMS), internet relay chat (IRC) and instant messaging have also been accepted by the deaf as an alternative or adjunct to TDD.

AT for mobility impairments
Mobility impairment refers to any condition that limits an individual's ability to navigate through their environment. Mobility assistive technology products and services for the physically challenged are used to ensure freedom of movement around the home or office. For example, persons with mobility impairment can use wheelchair or electric wheelchair to overcome challenges to daily activities. A permanent or portable ramp can also help in this regard.

In addition, alternative pointing devices allow mobility-impaired individuals to control the mouse pointer via a mechanism other than the mouse. These are typically used when someone lacks dexterity to manipulate a standard mouse. Again, some software exists that converts the keyboard arrow keys into directional movements for the pointer. Other keys are used to signal a left and right mouse click. Besides, for individuals with severe impairments who are entirely unable to manipulate the mouse and/or use a standard keyboard can use HeadMouse wireless pointing device that converts the movements of a user's head into corresponding movements of the mouse pointer by tracking the motion of a single point on the user's head. A standard keyboard may be completely replaced by using this system in conjunction with software that produces an on-screen keyboard.

Mobility-impaired individuals may utilise speech recognition applications. This software can be used to both control applications via speech commands and as a means to dedicate text, with speech converted into text in real time.

Disability is not inability; rather, it is a blessing in disguise. If the disabled get some opportunity, they can also prove their potential in the real field. As evidenced by the above descriptions, assistive technology services address a variety of disabilities in numerous ways. Regretfully, technology, created without regard to people with disabilities, often creates undesired hindrances to hundreds of millions of people. We should know that assistive technology, or more specifically universally acceptable technology, equally yields great rewards for the typical users. One example is the kerb cuts in the sidewalk at street crossing. While these kerb cuts enable pedestrians with mobility impairments to cross the street, these also aid parents with carriages and strollers, shoppers with carts, and travellers and workers with pull-type bags.

And here in Bangladesh, though the availability of disabled friendly or assistive technology is alarmingly low, YPSA -- a specialised non-profit social development organisation -- is doing some exciting work in this respect. As a result, the organisation has been selected by DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) Consortium, to ensure information in accessible format for people with disabilities (PWDs), especially for the print disabled. We sincerely hope that other organisations would follow YPSA's effort in this regard to make the PWDs lives somewhat easy and enjoyable.

The author, a physically challenged person, is a trainee at Thakral Information Systems Pvt Ltd, Dhaka.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=2062

Human-Centered Design Metaphors?

I appreciate what James David is writing on design over at The Groundswell Blog. Today he looks at the post The Revolution Will Not Be Designed by Alix Rule in his post Designing the Revolution.

Social justice inherently seeks systemic change to redress oppression. Rule’s objection to design thinking is that it serves as a”post-ideology” ideology, one which is stripped of considerations for “the long process by which consensus is built—a.k.a. politics.” Her case is that:

In particular, design metaphors obscure the ideological—and political—decisions involved in tackling societal issues. Depending on your perspective, “drunk driving” can be a symptom of some broader systemic failure (from un-walkable suburbs to deficient public education), a lapse of individual responsibility, or a right to be defended. The solution to the problem is inseparable from its conception. Conceiving of global ills as design challenges may sometimes be in order, but only when a consensus exists on goals, budgets and relevant values. Such is rarely the case.

Reading Jame's thought-provoking analysis reminded of a a distinction that Rudiger Leidner of NATKO made in a 2006 presentation "Tourism Accessible for All in Europe."

The distinction was between US conceptualizations of Universal Design and a European reformulation known as Design for All:

"...the main difference between the D[esign]F[or]A[all] idea and similar approaches such as “Universal Design” is that the targeted users should be involved in the process of product development."

Sandy Dhuyvetter's Travel Talk Radio

Ii was just on Sandy Dhuyvetter's Travel Talk Radio. It's always great to talk to Sandy.

As a wrap-up question she asked about positive trends in the industry. Let me highlight five suppliers who represent what is up-and-coming in Inclusive Travel -- accessible yacht rentals and critical mass in Mexico and in the deaf travel market:

Rent Yachts and Take Small Ship Tours:

Sherri Backstrom
Waypoint Charter Services
http://waypointcharter.com/accessible_travel.htm
1 888 491-2949

Visit Mexico as a Traveler with a Disability or on Fam as a Travel Agent:

Judith Cardenas
Cancun Accesible
Cancun Accesible (notice only one "s)
Teléfono +52 (998) 883 1978
info@cancunaccesible.com
Skype: Cancún.accesible

Adriana Ramirez
Mexico Accesible
http://www.accesiblemexico.com/ (notice only one "s")
1-866-519-6165

Meet the Deaf Travel Market:

Maria Gilda L. Quintua
M.G.L.Q. Deaf Tour Assistance, Philippines
http://www.mglq-dtap.com-a.googlepages.com/home
gilda_tourguide@yahoo.com
Text: +639108392799

Tabitha and MacPartlow
Passages Deaf Travel
Office: (757) 599-9181 Voice / TDD
passagestravel@aol.com
http://www.passagesdeaftravel.com/index.htm

Deficientes serão treinados para turismo: Treinamento para capacitar 200 deficientes (Portuguese)

A prefeitura do Rio pretende contratar empresa especializada em formação profissional para treinar 200 pessoas com deficiência física para atuar na área de turismo. O edital da licitação foi publicado no Diário Oficial nesta segunda-feira (14), segundo a Secretaria especial de Turismo.

O subsecretário de Turismo, Paulo Barros, explicou que, em muitas oportunidades, uma empresa pretende contratar um profissional com deficiência, mas não encontra candidatos com o treinamento necessário. Ele acredita que a demanda é grande nas empresas turísticas e em hotéis da cidade, seja para melhor atender aos clientes deficientes ou mesmo para cumprir a legislação que determina a obrigatoriedade de 2 a 5% de funcionários com deficiência em firmas com mais de 100 empregados.

"Essa medida ajuda a criar uma cultura favorável ao atendimento às pessoas com deficiência. Um profissional com formação adequada que seja deficiente atende melhor ao cliente que está na mesma situação. No 1º semestre, a intenção é que o curso treine 200 pessoas. Mas o número pode aumentar no 2º semestre de 2008", declarou Barros.

Pontos turísticos devem ser adaptados

Outra medida voltada ao turista com deficiência física foi a assinatura de um convênio entre a prefeitura do Rio e a instituição francesa Tourisme et Handcap, organização não governamental especializada em turismo inclusivo. A parceria foi firmada nesta segunda, pelas secretarias especial de Turismo e da Pessoa com Deficiência, depois da visita da diretora da instituição francesa ao Rio.

Segundo o subsecretário de Turismo, Paulo Barros, um tour informal por hotéis, restaurantes e pontos como o Corcovado e o Pão de Açúcar no fim de semana do dia 14 e 15 de janeiro forneceu dados iniciais à instituição, que deve elaborar até meados de 2008 um manual com as adaptações necessárias nos pontos turísticos do município.

"Nessa visita já foi possível constatar que a situação é melhor do que se imaginava. O Cristo e o Pão de Açúcar, por exemplo, precisam de pequenas adaptações para ficarem totalmente acessíveis. A instituição deixou conosco as normas da União Européia, que vão guiar o trabalho, que está apenas começando", disse o subsecretário, que apontou o Hotel Sofitel, em Copacabana, como o ideal em termos de acessibilidade aos deficientes físicos.

O secretário especial de Turismo, Rubem Medina, informou que já está sendo feito o levantamento do que precisa ser adaptado.


Banheiros feminino e masculino separados

Segundo a deputada Sheila Gama (PDT), presidente da comissão de Defesa da Pessoa Portadora de Deficiência da Assembléia Legislativa do Rio, existem especificações de acessibilidade definidas pela Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas (ABNT).

A deputada informou que o local é considerado acessível quanto tem rampas, piso tátil e sinal sonoro para os deficientes visuais, indicações em braile nos elevadores, banheiros adaptados e portas com largura adequada à passagem de cadeiras de rodas.

"É importante verificar se será respeitada a lei que garante banheiros adaptados separados; um feminino, outro masculino. A lei é clara. Algumas obras recentes, como o estádio do Engenhão e o novo estacionamento subterrâneo na Avenida Presidente Antônio Carlos, no Centro, só tem um banheiro para deficientes", denunciou a deputada.

http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Rio/0,,MUL259301-5606,00.html

Kango.com, VibeAgent.com - It Looks Like We are Making Progress!

Kango.com is a travel site that is still in private beta but offers some well thought out features. Some of the initial reviews are positive:

Tim from Business of Online Travel talks about how Kango is the natural evolution of meta-search to solve the problem of too much information – Kayak aggregates price, Travelzoo aggregates deal and Kango aggregates content, reviews and travel information,”(Kango) takes all of the unstructured data out there from web based sources (TripAdvisor, Travelpost, Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc) and combines it into a structured data result…into a contextual summary”.

Source:
http://blog.kango.com/kango_news/analyst_and_blog_feedback_on_kangos_private_beta_152.html

But what tells me that they really understand industry trends and consumer needs is when I see them bring in experienced Inclusive Travel advocates like Craig Grimes of Accessible Barcelona and Accessible Nicaragua. See his piece at Disability Travel, Part I: Plan Accessible Trips

Remarks on Inclusion in Tourism from the January 7, 2008 ADA Business Connection Leadership Meeting

Grace Becker, Acting Assistant Attorney General impressed us with her grasp of the current state and future needs of Inclusive Tourism with her opening remarks at the ADA Business
Connection Leadership meeting.

Prepared Remarks of Grace Chung Becker
Acting Assistant Attorney General
ADA Business Connection Leadership Meeting
Contemporary Resort, Disney World
Lake Buena Vista, Florida

January 7, 2008

Thank you, Loretta, for the kind introduction. My thanks to Stuart Vidockler, of Society
for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH), and Jeannie Amendola of Disney World,
for co-hosting this meeting and helping us bring together this extraordinary group of
people. I also want to thank our speakers Nadine Vogel, President, Springboard
Consulting, and Ms. Amendola, for talking to us today about the power of accessible
customer service to improve business accessibility and welcome the market of people
with disabilities. And, thanks to Jani Nayar of SATH, Jack Humburg, of the Boley
Centers, Elizabeth Howe of the Center for Independent Living of Central Florida, and
Shelley Kaplan, of the Southeast DBTAC, for the great help they gave us in putting this
meeting together.

Most notably, thank you all for making time in your busy schedules. We appreciate your
willingness to participate in this important discussion that we call the ADA Business
Connection Leadership meeting. As I was named Acting Assistant Attorney General
fairly recently, this is my first ADA Business Connection meeting. I am looking forward
to learning from our co-hosts and speakers and to developing a discussion that will
result in ongoing relationships within the greater Orlando area as well as in the national
disability rights and business communities.

Today’s presentations and discussion will focus on the mutual benefits of accessible
customer service in the travel and hospitality industry. In business management books
and articles, we find repeated references to the need for today’s companies to become
“customer-centric” and to offer customers as many choices as possible in products and
services in order to remain competitive. Experts talk about “re-inventing the customer
experience’” and “turning ordinary into extraordinary “ because customers expect more
and base their loyalty to businesses on whether they get what they want and get it in
ways that make them feel valued by the company.

All too often, however, customers with disabilities are not part of the equation when
providing these new and over-the-top experiences. Yet some of what business experts
are touting now as providing exemplary customer service is exactly what the ADA
requires. For example, Jonathan Tisch, CEO of Loews Hotels and author of Chocolates
on the Pillow Aren’t Enough, writes about how a company can individualize its services
by giving staff permission to adjust standard procedures as needed to best serve a
customer. The ADA calls that modification of policies, practices, and procedures.
Tisch also argues that attracting diverse customer groups – and he includes people with
disabilities in this group – will be key to success for businesses in the coming years.
But he cautions that “respecting diversity doesn’t happen automatically; it requires
thought, training, and commitment.” I am sure we will talk often this afternoon about the
value of these three elements when creating a welcoming environment for customers
with disabilities.

Organizations large and small can win over this market with good service. In his book,
The Starbucks Experience, Joseph A. Michelli relates numerous success stories about
Starbucks employees and their efforts to provide exemplary customer service. One
story took place in a California Starbucks where the baristas observed that many of their
customers were deaf. Wanting to improve the customer experience, the baristas
independently took the initiative to enroll in sign language classes to improve their
communication with these patrons. With such a warm welcome, the deaf customers not
only continued to patronize that Starbucks, but also created a website called Deaf Chat
Coffee at www.deafcoffee.com to encourage deaf individuals throughout the U.S. and
Canada to set up coffee groups in their own neighborhoods. Even the site's logo is a
salute to the ubiquitous Starbucks insignia. There are three Deaf Chat Coffee groups in
the Orlando area, two of which are held in Starbucks stores. I guess that’s what
Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO of Starbucks, meant when he said, “We are not in
the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee.”
Reinventing the customer experience for people with disabilities can boost a company’s
accessibility and its compliance with the ADA, draw in a new market, and improve
service for all of its customers. In an IBM executive brief, Dr. Paul Horn, senior vice
president of IBM research, is quoted as saying “Out of our work making computing
easier to use for people with disabilities we will think of radically new approaches. Out
of these approaches we will find not just ways of helping people with . . . disabilities but
ways of making computing far more natural and intuitive.” If accessibility can make
computing more intuitive, just think of what it can do for the service-oriented hospitality
industry.

The market is there, it is growing, and it is expecting accessible customer service. The
proof of this market's importance is in the statistics:

• The U.S. Census Bureau's 2002 Survey of Income and Program
Participation (SIPP) found that there are 51.2 million people with
disabilities in the United States. To put that number into perspective, the
2002 SIPP indicates that the U.S. population's percentage of people with
disabilities is 18.1 percent. That is larger than the percentage of
Hispanics in the U.S. population (13.3%), the country's largest ethnic,
racial, or cultural minority group.
• Almost 21 million American families have at least one member with a
disability.
• According to the Department of Labor, individuals with disabilities have
$175 billion in annual discretionary income to spend.
• A 2005 study by the Open Doors Organization (ODO), a Chicago nonprofit
organization, found that more than 21 million adults with disabilities
traveled at least once in the preceding two years. More than 50% of
adults with disabilities stayed in hotels while traveling within this two-year
period. In a 2002 study, the ODO found that spending by travelers with
disabilities exceeded $13.6 billion annually.
• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2002, more than 42 percent of
those 65 and older had disabilities. In 2000, in the U.S. alone, there were
35 million people in this age group. Doing the math, we can estimate that
approximately 14.7 million of these older adults have disabilities. Globally,
the story is even larger: a recent UN study reported that between 2005
and 2050, the worldwide population of people 60 and older is expected to
almost triple.

• In addition, those 76 million Baby Boomers -- the oldest of whom turned
60 last year -- experience biological and psychological changes before
age 65 that might not be identified as disabilities but can be
accommodated by accessibility in businesses. A Deloitte Research Study,
"Tracking Travel: Exploring the Latest Trends in Business and Leisure
Travel," adds that while customer ratings for preferred lodging amenities
were similar among age groups, the 51-65 year old group had two
additional choices: comfortable beds and easy-to-use electronics. Those
accessible features do make a difference.

• Older adults also have money. A Deloitte's research study states that
consumers over age 50 control almost half of all consumer spending in the
United States; and that consumers 65 and older are the most affluent of
any U.S. age group.

• And, they like to spend it. Reports from Deloitte, Canada Statistics, and
Abacus International indicate that the older adult demographic segment in
the U.S., Canada, Asia, and Europe dominate all other age groups in
travel: traveling more and spending more on their travel.
Businesses are focusing on this audience not for altruistic reasons but for the bottom
line: millions of customers with billions of dollars in disposable income.
And finally, a recent study by Weber Shandwick found that Baby Boomers regularly look
to their peers for product recommendations and consider them to be trusted sources of
information. Anecdotally, persons with disabilities across the country maintain informal
but very strong information-sharing networks about accessible venues. In these days of
blogs, online reviews, and omnipresent, immediate communication, this is an audience
to cultivate and keep satisfied.

I would like to conclude with a quote from IBM Global Business Services: "To stand out
in a crowded marketplace, retailers need customer advocates, not just shoppers . . .
Becoming more customer focused is a multiyear journey that will require executive
sponsorship in order to orchestrate the changes required in culture, organization,
processes and technology. It is a vital strategy for all retailers and the means for turning
shoppers into advocates and creating a sustainable, differentiated advantage." I hope
that after today's meeting, the people in this room will embrace the cultivation of
customer advocates among people with disabilities, Baby Boomers, family, and friends
through providing accessible customer service that “turns ordinary into extraordinary.”
Thank you all for coming.

The Adversity of Knowledge

Several colleagues have recently commented about the uncritical adoption of an ethos of competitiveness in the travel industry - which is by its nature a people-centered enterprise. Excesses in the airlines industry reported here as violating the civil rights of travelers with disabilities are only one manifestation of an imbalance. Below is one reflection on the limits to competition as paradigm. Let me start with its conclusion:

Knowledge itself often does better in a collaborative environment than in a competitive one. Debates with a winner and loser are usually not very productive or conducive to genuine learning. Collaborative environments that embrace many points of view, especially where those views are in perpetual conversation with one another, overall are richer in what they know and what they understand. Within them, knowledge can be what it is and not what the dominant side would like it to be. Knowledge finds its integrity in the perpetual conversation where it is in play.

I’m years late getting to Jack Welch’s Jack: Straight from the Gut. I had to read it for a project I was working on recently, and I’m glad I did, but not so much for what he says. His story of his tenure as General Electric’s CEO is interesting, but the subtext is positively fascinating.

There’s no arguing with Welch’s success, except perhaps by arguing with his definition of success. GE was a big, profitable business when Welch got there. When he left, it was much bigger and much more profitable because Welch redefined success as winning. It was not enough to be profitable. Instead, the company had to shed every area of business where it could not be #1 or #2. Where global competitors were arising that would drive GE out of the business, that was a shrewd,
preemptive move. But as a strategy applied across the board, it seems from Welch’s book to have had another motive as well.

Self-created strife

Welch’s story is that of overcoming adversity. His family was comfortably working class. They did not have it easy, but they got by. That’s not the adversity I’m referring to. And while Welch obviously had to struggle and compete to make it all the way to the top, the story, as he tells it (of course), is of an honest process that rewarded his skills, drive and personal qualities.

The most important adversity in his story is that which Welch created. On the one hand, he is exceptionally modest throughout his book. He takes every opportunity to tell us of his mistakes, and to remind us that he didn’t know as much about any of the areas of the business as those who were running them. He claims to have been a poor—or at least nervous—public speaker. So, how does he account for his rise and subsequent success? In part, it was his
passion and hard work. But lots of people work hard. More important, he says, was his integrity, by which he means his insistence on being who he is and not pretending to be something else.

Rare commodity

Integrity is so important to Welch that he stressed it as GE’s #1 value. But, by insisting on his integrity, Welch implicitly defined his circumstances as corrupt: Welch succeeded because his integrity was a rare virtue at GE. Welch doesn’t state it this baldly or generally, but that is how his story reads. Time and again, Welch stands out because he’s the one willing to speak the hard truths, face "reality" and rise above the "butt-kissers," all because he was the one with the integrity to stay true to who he is.

Constant struggle

Welch, in fact, realigned GE so that it was in perpetual struggle. The requirement to be #1 or #2 in the market meant that everyone at GE—after Welch’s mass layoffs—was in constant struggle to gain or maintain marketshare. And Welch instituted an internal system of "differentiation"—ranking—that required managers not only to rate their employees as As, Bs or Cs but to always assign 10 percent to the Cs. Then the Cs had to be improved or fired. That ensured that GE internally became a system of constant struggle and adversity. Or, so it seems from Welch’s book.

Untrammeled passion

A system of adversity enables strong leaders to emerge. In fact, adverse times demand strong leaders. One’s left wondering if that is in fact what drove Welch to build adversity into the fabric of GE, creating an environment that needed a strong leader like Welch—one with the "integrity" to be who he is.

There are obvious advantages to having a tightly controlled and well-led enterprise. But as we look at the Internet and some of the most remarkable achievements on it—Linux, Wikipedia, the blogosphere, the Internet itself—we now have proof that there are also advantages to collaborative networks that spurn leadership. In fact, those networks are where you’ll find the true, untrammeled passion that is Welch’s other main value.

Perpetual conversation

Knowledge itself often does better in a collaborative environment than in a competitive one. Debates with a winner and loser are usually not very productive or conducive to genuine learning. Collaborative environments that embrace many points of view, especially where those views are in perpetual conversation with one another, overall are richer in what they know and what they understand. Within them, knowledge can be what it is and not what the dominant side would like it to be. Knowledge finds its integrity in the perpetual conversation where it is in play. That play is not Welch’s idea of adversity because in it, there are winners but no losers.

Source:

http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=37313

Reviewing Our Legacy

As any idea or invention becomes disseminated through a society it changes. Similarly as ideas move from their cultural contexts and take root in another changes occur.

Here Shoji Nakanishi of Disabled People International (DPI) Japan re-clarifies the founding concepts and principles of the Independent Living Movement as it undergoes the two-fold process of mainstreaming in its host context and internationalization to new cultural contexts. The question arises, "Is the new faithful to the intentions of the original?"

See the Independent Living Movement in Developing Countries

Universal Design & Blindness: Creating A Barrier Free Society

As Inclusive Tourism and Inclusive Destinatio