Bloglines - ADA Compliance Gets Some Style!

Rolling Rains Report: Precipitating Dialogue on Travel, Disability, and Universal Design

ADA Compliance Gets Some Style! By rollingrains on News Forgive the pun but the market is maturing for universally designed products. Here is a well-presented story from Contractor Magazine. The author, Wliiam Atkinson, reports that best practices in marketing ADA-compliant, universal design sensitve products avoid triggering disability aversion by focusing on style and comfort -- and they seem to be working!: From Sterile to Stylish: ADA-compliant bathroom products now target the majority of your customers. BY WILLIAM ATKINSON SPECIAL TO CONTRACTOR When one thinks of ADA compliant bathroom fixtures and accessories, the word "sterile" usually comes to mind. These days, however, stylish is replacing sterile. And it's not because companies are trying to market stylish fixtures exclusively to disabled people. Rather, they are targeting mainstream consumers of all ages with their ADA-compliant offerings and not even mentioning the fact that the products happen to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The strategy is working - so well that it may not be long before the majority of new-construction bathrooms are outfitted with ADA-compliant fixtures. Find the full article at: http://www.contractormag.com/articles/newsarticle.cfm?newsid=486

Bloglines - Olympic-Sized Inaccessibility

Rolling Rains Report: Precipitating Dialogue on Travel, Disability, and Universal Design

Olympic-Sized Inaccessibility By rollingrains on News The BBC's Matthew Davis reports from the Olypmic Games in "Challenges for disabled in Athens." Even before you read the story image using a manual wheelchair where all the sidewalks had a sideslope to the street like that - certainly difficult for an amputee or hemiplegic not to mention with crutches, walker, or a cane. Further reading from Dave Reynold's Inclusion Daily Express: May 27, 2004 (second story): "Greek Cabbies Asked To Be More Accommodating" May 28, 2004 (second story): "Athens Preps For Olympics And Paralympics"

Bloglines - We Wish They Had Included Travel on the Agenda

Bloglines user mdorn@temple.edu has sent this item to you.

Rolling Rains Report: Precipitating Dialogue on Travel, Disability, and Universal Design

We Wish They Had Included Travel on the Agenda By rollingrains on News Aging by Design: Bentley College, and AARP Sponsor Conference Slated for Sept. 27 - 28 AScribe Newswire - August 25, 2004 WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 18 (AScribe Newswire) -- Bentley College and AARP will host Aging by Design, a two-day conference that explores the intersection of a rapidly-growing aging population, the business community and the design of technology products and services. Sponsored by Bentley, the business university, and AARP, the nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization dedicated to making life better for people 50 and over, the conference will be held on September 27 and 28 on the Bentley campus in Waltham, Mass. Conference topics will explore how technology plays a role in issues that affect older adults, from caregiving to computer access and usability, from e-learning for mature employees to understanding the aging Web user, and more. "As older Americans are living longer, healthier lives and have more spending power than ever before, we need to explore the broader design requirements of this important population, as well as the challenges and opportunities these requirements present," said William Gribbons, director of the Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design program at Bentley, and co-chair of the conference. "If you are interested in this growing demographic, whether in the development of useful design, in the analysis of its needs or in the marketing of usable services and products, this conference is vital."

Bloglines - Edward Steinfeld on the Concept of Universal Design

Rolling Rains Report: Precipitating Dialogue on Travel, Disability, and Universal Design

Edward Steinfeld on the Concept of Universal Design By rollingrains on Career & Continuing Education An excellent introduction to Universal Design -- one that distinguishes it from Accessible Design -- is excerpted below. Written by professor Edward Steinfeld of the IDEA Center, the full text of The Concept of Universal Design can be found at: http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/publications/free_pubs/pubs_cud.htm The Concept of Universal Design Universal Design is different than accessible design. Accessible design means products and buildings that are accessible and usable by people with disabilities. Universal design means products and buildings that are accessible and usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Although these different definitions appear to be simply semantic, they actually have significant differences in meaning. Accessible design has a tendency to lead to separate facilities for people with disabilities, for example, a ramp set off to the side of a stairway at an entrance or a wheelchair accessible toilet stall. Universal design, on the other hand, provides one solution that can accommodate people with disabilities as well as the rest of the population. Moreover, universal design means giving attention to the needs of older people as well as young, women as well as men, left handed persons as well as right handed persons. For the complete article see: http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/publications/free_pubs/pubs_cud.htm

Bloglines - Serving on a New Front: Universal Design Comes Home

From: Rolling Rains Report Precipitating Dialogue on Travel, Disability, and Universal Design

Serving on a New Front: Universal Design Comes Home By rollingrains on News From Contractor magazine: John Gonsalves is president and founder of Homes For Our Troops, a nonprofit organization that plans to build and adapt homes to meet the physical needs of severely injured soldiers. He had been watching news reports of soldiers injured in Iraq, and one story focused on a soldier who lost both of his legs in an attack. "I asked myself what I could do," he told CONTRACTOR. "Since I'm a licensed construction supervisor and have been in the trade for 20 years, I felt the best thing I could contribute would relate to housing needs, to build adapted homes or to help adapt existing homes." Gonsalves assumed that an organization for this purpose already existed.He did an Internet search to find one, so he could donate his time. When he found that nothing existed, he decided to create one Source: http://www.contractormag.com/articles/newsarticle.cfm?newsid=478 See also: Homes for our Troops Homes for Our Troops; Inc. 29 Samoset St. (Rt.44) Plymouth, MA 02360 Founder John Gonsalves john@homesforourtroops.org

New publication! Independent Living and Self- Help in 2003: A Global Snapshot of a Social Change Movement

WID's 131 page report features articles and research on how disability groups are using independent living principles to improve their living conditions in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa. Also included is the International Independent Living Timeline spanning 1755 to 2003, and a selected international bibliography.
The International Independent Living Timeline began as a project of the 1999 International Summit on Independent Living, organized by Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU). Held in Washington D.C., participants from fifty countries provided information about milestones in the independent living movement. The result is an indispensable research tool that helps track 1) precursors or prerequisites to an independent living movement in various countries, and 2) the influence of external political events and international and regional collaboration. IDEAS project staff have recently updated the timeline, which is printed in this volume.

The entire volume features original papers, as well as reprinted papers from the IDEAS online magazine (www.disabilityworld.org) and other journals. In addition to regional reports, countries featured include Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Mozambique, South Africa and the U.S.
"This entire volume so clearly demonstrates the value of international exchange of experience to advance the status of disabled people worldwide," says Tomas Lagerwall, secretary general of Rehabilitation International. "I have witnessed the many positive effects of this movement, first in Europe and now in the U.S. and am certain we still have much to learn from each other."
A Global Snapshot is a product of the International Disability Exchanges and Studies (IDEAS) project, a five year collaboration of WID; Rehabilitation International (RI); Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU); and the Inter-American Institute on Disability (IID). It is funded by the U.S. National Institute for Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Copies of this report are available in print or alternative formats from pubs@wid.org or (510)251-4309.(Shipped in the U.S. is $30.13. Shipped by international surface is $34.96; allow 4-6 weeks. Shipped by international air is $39.25. Sliding scale is available for developing countries.)

Recall IBOT Wheelchairs

Voluntary iBOT Recall

Johnson & Johnson has issued a voluntary recall of the iBOT wheelchair in order to fix a problem discovered in one of the wheelchairs during a routine test. "When they tested this unit, it spun around in a full circle and fell over," said Jeff Leebau, spokesman for Johnsin & Johnson in HME Newswire.

Although none of the 36 American iBOT owners have reported this problem, the company has advised that owners not use their chairs until the repairs can be finished. Repairs are expected to take two to three months and people who don't have a backup wheelchair will be reimbursed the cost of a manual or power replacement. Also, no new iBOTs will be manufactured until the problem is resolved.

New Mobility Magazine

Deborah V. Buck, Executive Director
Association of Assistive Technology Act Programs (ATAP)
PO Box 32
Delmar, NY 12054
(518) 439-1263 voice/TTY
(518) 439-3451 fax
(518) 441-7204 cell
dbuck@nycap.rr.com
http://www.ataporg.org