Author: Jane Bringolf

Autism and Building Design

A young girl is wide-eyed with a drooping mouth as is she is about to be unhappy. Autism and building design.If designers are not already thinking about autism, they soon will be, or should be. People with autism have the same rights to functional and accessible spaces as everyone else. In his article Stuart Shell gives an overview of ASD (autism spectrum disorder). He explains why building owners and designers need to include this group, and how it will create great architecture at the same time. 

One in one hundred and fifty children were diagnosed with ASD in 2000. ASD can take the form of extra sensory awareness, and higher levels of anxiety or involuntary responses. However, most autistic people say they have their own way of experiencing the world – it’s not a “disorder”. Shell concludes with a list of design options and different guidelines.

A lengthy but very useful article that includes acoustics, lighting, thermal comfort and material finishes and furniture. There is a list of references at the end for further reading. What Autism Teaches Us About Design is an easy and comprehensive read on an important topic. 

There’s also the easy to read article, How to Design for Autism. Thoughtful design aims to be inclusive, convenient and welcoming. Designing interiors for children with autism makes for good interiors for children generally. Texture, acoustics and lighting features are applicable to the rest of the world when it comes to designing autism-friendly spaces. The architect behind the design of the Center of Autism and the Developing Brain says the key is to be sensitive to light, sight, textures, and sounds. The article can be downloaded from the CoDesign.com website.

A Literature Review

Interest in autism and building design is a growing field, but who is doing the research? A comprehensive literature review looked at research from 1992-2021. This is one for academics and researchers.  The findings can be used to build techniques specific to the themes. Researchers can also discover the most influential publications, authors, and journals in this field to uncover research gaps and fresh discoveries.

Museums and autism 

Hands of two children are over a large bowl with lots of little button magnets. They are experimenting through play.Early Bird quiet sessions are just one of the strategies museums can use to cater for children with autism. Many autistic children have learning difficulties. So thinking about displays and interpretation is their equivalent of accessibility. Autistic visitors can be loyal due to liking routine visits and having an intense interest in a particular subject. When they get older they can become a great asset as volunteers and staff members. You can read more about this topic and successful case studies on the Future of Museums blog, “As we work to increase diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility among museum audiences and in the workplace, we need to attend to the needs of neurodiverse visitors and employees”. 

Claire Madge wrote the article. She founded Autism in Museums in UK to further understanding. Once again we are reminded that the noise of electric hand driers in the bathrooms can be scary. Answer – turn them off during Early Bird hours.

Universal design as policy and practice

Logo of the APA - white text on a mid blue background.Universal design is commonly expressed using the seven classic principles – listing  and explaining them. But what about universal design policy statements? These are not as common. So it’s great to see a major organisation getting to grips with this. The American Psychological Association (APA) has published its Resolution on Support of Universal Design and Accessibility in Education, Training and Practice. It’s a detailed document and a useful reference for anyone tasked with writing a universal design policy.

For organisations that haven’t thought about a universal design policy, perhaps this document will get you started. Their rationale is well thought out and very well expressed. It shows how universal design is a way to create inclusive practice. An excellent piece of work. 

The APA has an overview and rationale of their position, and the policy document itself – Resolution on Support of Universal Design and Accessiblity in Education, Training and Practice. Both very useful documents and good to see mental health embracing universal design in their education and practice.  Here’s three snippets:

Psychological research has clearly demonstrated the negative impact of limited access, stigmatization, and discrimination. …There is a loss of valuable potential when individuals with diverse needs are not included in all aspects of the community, research, and policy making.

The benefits of full inclusion are not only experienced by those individuals not currently served, but also can be fully realized by the greater society as well. 

Psychologists are in a unique position to promote education on diverse identities and barriers to access and provide clinical services to meet the psychological and health needs of consumers. Therefore, it is important that psychologists have a model that incorporates universal design in education, training, and provision of services.

 

Interior design for better hearing

Interior of a room showing a white sofa with right angled sections.Sooner or later most of us will lose a portion of our hearing – some to the point where it affects our everyday life. How to design inclusively for people who are hard of hearing is the topic of an article in ArchDaily. It lists six design tips and outlines features that can assist people to work and socialise more easily:
      • Interior layout and visibility
      • Brightness, light and reflections
      • Multisensory spaces
      • Acoustic optimisation
      • Materials, objects and new technologies
The article, Architecture for People with Hearing Loss: 6 Design Tips, concludes with: “In short, a truly inclusive design does not always necessitate hyper-awareness of special considerations, but can simply mean incorporating needs that tend to be basic for everyone, regardless of their physical conditions.” There are links in the article to other resources. Deafness is a major cause of social isolation and inability to work effectively. Hearing aids are only a partial solution – that’s because they amplify all sounds including background noise. Being able to see the face of someone talking is a great help. Captioning of live events and videos is a must for taking in information and enjoying the plot of a movie.   

Just and Fair Design

How can design be fair to everyone? Is it even possible to design for everyone? The authors of Just Design argue that justice and fairness in design is not about the output but about the process. Inclusion is more about the social context rather than the design of a particular thing.

The authors’ arguments are not new to practitioners and advocates of universal design. They understand the context of inclusion is also about the participation of users with a range of disabilities.

A woman in a powered wheelchair and a man in a mobility scooter enjoy the pathway.

Discussions and decisions between different users help solve the fairness issue. So their argument that making things inclusive can end up still excluding some people while true, is not well encapsulated in some of their examples. The example of a museum entrance below is thought to be universally accessible. However, users tell another story.

Note on the image of a stepped entry: Sometimes called “stramps” – a mix of steps and a ramp are the opposite of accessible and universal design. There are no safeguards for wheelchair users who run the risk of running over the edges as the ramp section is not clear. It does not comply with Australian legislation. 

Museum entrance with steps and ramp integrated. The tiles are a light colour and the way the light falls the whole thing looks very confusing. Architecture and disability.

Integrated steps and a ramp so they cross over each other is an obvious nightmare for someone who is blind, or has perception difficulties, or needs a handrail on all steps. A consultation with users would have produced a different design solution that would be considered fair. They then add the example of a child’s wheelchair – an item that is by its very nature a specialised design. This device cannot fall under the universal or inclusive design flag, but it does allow participation and inclusion in environments designed to accommodate wheeled mobility devices.

Understanding user feedback mechanisms

It is not clear whether the authors understand the role of user feedback and the iterative nature of designing universally. The aim of authors’ discussion is to propose a theory based on justice and fairness of universal and inclusive design. Their references include the thinking of product designers, as well as built environment designers.

The article, Just Design is by Bianchin and Heylighten and is available from ScienceDirect. An interesting, if long read, for anyone interested in the philosophy underpinning universal design and inclusive practice. A similar discussion by the same authors is, Ethics in design: Pluralism and the case for justice in inclusive design.  Also, Fair by Design. Both available for a free read on ResearchGate.

And then there is another aspect of justice – access to the court process and legal proceedings.

Equitable access to justice in courts

Justice systems and courthouses are scary at the best of times – even when you haven’t done anything wrong. The processes and places are foreign to most of us. Interacting with the justice system is very stressful – even more so for people with any kind of disability. It’s the same for people who come from a migrant community. Equitable access to justice is yet to evolve.

The relatively new Brisbane Courthouse has attempted a degree of accessibility. However, much of it is compliance-based and added as an afterthought. This image is of the judges bench in the Supreme Court.

This new courtroom has timber backed seats and a long timber desk that seats the justices. A abstract painting covers the wall behind the bench. Daylight comes in through large windows.

This image of the defendant’s dock shows a ramp entry. However, when the door is opened the fittings block the entryway.

Brisbane court room showing the glass surround for the accused dock.

The newly published guidelines for access to justice for persons with disabilities is available on the United Nations Human Rights web page. It gives the background and a summary of the consultation process. The title of the document is, International Principles and Guidelines on Access to Justice for Persons with Disabilities. The document was developed in collaboration with disability rights experts, advocacy organisations, states, academics and other practitioners. There are ten principles, each with a set of guidelines for action.

Ten Principles for people with disability

  • 1. All persons with disabilities have legal capacity and no one shall be denied access to justice on the basis of disability.
  • 2  Facilities and services must be universally accessible to ensure equal access to justice
  • 3  Children with disabilities also have the right to appropriate procedural accommodations.
  • 4  People with disability have the right to access legal notices and information in an accessible manner on an equal basis.
  • 5  People with disability are entitled to all substantive and procedural safeguards and States must provide the necessary accommodations to guarantee due process.
  • 6  People with disability have the right to free or affordable legal assistance. 
  • 7 People with disability have the right to participate in the administration of justice on an equal basis with others. 
  • 8  People with disability have the right to report complaints concerning human rights violations and crimes and be afforded effective remedies. 
  • 9  Effective and robust monitoring mechanisms play a critical role in supporting access to justice for people with disability. 
  • 10  People working in the justice system must be trained on addressing the rights of persons with disabilities, in particular in the context of access to justice.

Gay neighbourhood: an urban typology?

Three young men lead a street march with rainbow banners. It's a gay pride event. Gay neighbourhoods are like any other neighbourhod.Last century lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) individuals felt the need to band together for safety in numbers. Some argue that successive human rights legislation has lessened the need for this to continue. Or has it? The notion that gay neighbourhoods are no longer needed is premature. Other neighbourhoods based on ethnicity or socio-economic factors haven’t completely disappeared.

Post-gay, post-binary

Bitterman reflects on what he describes as a transitional stage towards a post-gay, post-binary era. He examines some possible reason for the lack of urban research on this topic in recent years. 

Alex Bitterman discusses the lack of academic documentation and research on gay neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods will likely continue and be important to future generations of LGBT residents and families. He argues that they are neither dying nor flourishing – just existing – in the same way as any other typology. Gay neighbourhoods will also need to adapt to other trends such as gentrification and affordability. The notion that gay neighbourhoods are self-sustaining, or that they are diminishing is erroneous. 

Bitterman concludes his essay; “Through unglamorous scholarly inquiry, the true account of the evolution and trajectories of gay neighbourhoods will be revealed. To better understand the longitudinal progression of gay neighbourhoods, researchers should endeavour to differentiate between well-established gay neighbourhoods and emerging gaybourhoods, carefully studying the trends and demographics that lead to shifting LGBT populations and changes in gay neighbourhoods. This evolution, occurring in plain sight but largely undocumented, is LGBT history in the making and the opportunity to chronicle these unique and important changes is ours to lose.”

The title of the essay is, Rainbow diaspora: the emerging renaissance of gay neighbourhoods.

 

Draft Urban Design Guidelines for Regional NSW

Street scene showing level footpath, shade treas, shade umbrella and lots of seatingRegional and rural areas of NSW have a higher percentage of older people, particularly in areas popular with older tree-changers and sea-changers. So the draft Urban Design Guidelines for Regional NSW should take this into account. The seven objectives in the draft guidelines are: Better Fit, Better Performance, Better for Community, Better for People, Better working, Better value, and Better look and feel. They are explained in detail and will typically apply to the public realm, town centres, infill developments, and greenfield developments. This 90 page guide also includes a useful profile of each region. The website has a FAQ sheet and a webinar on good urban design in the regions.  

Each of the design objectives would benefit from an overlay of universal design concepts. The document explains that “Design draws together many fields of expertise … [with] often competing requirements … that meets the needs of many and diverse groups”.  A universal design approach automatically draws these groups together. However, such an approach is left up to individual councils.

Note: These draft guidelines were open for public comment during 2018-2019, but they are still in draft form. 

Disability in Museums: Then and now

Front cover of the book Representing Disability in Museums.Representing Disability in Museums: Imaginary and Identities is an e-book about how disability has been, and currently is, portrayed in museums. The aim of the publication is to show empathetic and ethical ways of representing difference in museums of all types.

Chapters cover the representation of disability in collections, the link between museums and disability, and cultural accessibility. The open access e-book comes from Europe where museums have a long history and play a large part in tourism activity. 

From the Introduction:

In recent years the representation of disability in museums has raised much interest among the academic community as a social group. However, disabled people remain sub-represented in museum narratives.

The discussion about the issues is regarded as an important way to better understand disability. In particular, its potential to gradually counteract forms of oppression and exclusion of disabled people in the museum context.

Integrating narratives on disability in museums’ shows how imagery has influenced the attitudes and social values towards disabled people. The ways disability is represented show how identities were subjected to discriminatory and exclusion practices.

The social function of the museum also refers to ways to deal with these shortcomings and has significant impacts both on the cultural approach to disability and on the construction of more positive identities which aim for the inclusion of disabled people in today’s society.

The title of the book is: Representing Disability in Museums: Imaginary and Identities; it is a 15MB PDF file.

Inclusive approach to public toilet design

Front cover of the report showing a young woman holding up a floor plan drawing of a toilet.Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) is a basic human right for everyone. And there are both technical and social dimensions to consider.  A four year project in Eastern Indonesia was funded by the Australian Government. The aim was to improve the lives of women and people with disability by focusing on improving access to public toilets. The project report outlines the issues, the context and how the researchers developed an inclusive participatory action research (PAR) approach. 

There is significant learning from this project, particularly about their inclusive PAR method. The method is applicable to any marginalised group. The learning as it applies to women and people with disability are listed and include: attentive listening, accommodating differences in language, meaning and ability, building on individual differences, and encouraging creative expression and being flexible.

The recommendations include being open about the risks, challenges and failures of a PAR project; moving towards more transformative ways of working with marginalised people, and engaging in inclusive dialogue about concerns and contextual issues with all stakeholders.

When it comes to public infrastructure, the humble toilet is essential. No matter where you live in the world, they are essential for getting out and about. For many, toilets make or break any activity outside the home. They are the deciding factor about where to go and how long to stay out.

The title of the report is, Participatory Action Research (PAR) In Practice – WASH for Women and People with Disabilities. 

Project partners included Plan International Australia, Water for Women, and Edge Effect.

Thinking UDL for all learning situations

Adults seated at tables in a classroom setting looking forward to the instructor at the front of the roomWhether doing on-the-job training or giving a seminar presentation, we should all think about utilising the principles of universal design. Universal design for learning (UDL) isn’t just for schools and universities. The aim is to get the message across as clearly as possible – but our audiences are diverse. A resource that has a set of universally designed slides as well as the academic version in a paper is a refreshing change. The link to the resource begins with the slides about universal design and applying it to learning. Showing an example of a wordy slide and how to turn it into a slide with just key take home messages is very useful for anyone that makes presentations.

The academic paper covers the basic ground of UDL, which is familiar territory to experienced practitioners. The focus is on including people with disability rather than creating separate material. However, there will always be some people who will need separate or additional learning material. As with universal design in the built environment, all learners benefit regardless of the learning context. Good for anyone new to the topic.

The title of the academic article is, “Tips for Creating Inclusive and Accessible Instruction for Adult Learners: An Overview of Accessibility and Universal Design Methods for Adult Education Practitioners”.

Cartoon drawing shows a person shovelling snow from steps next to a ramp. The text says, clearing the path for people with "special needs" clears the path for everyone.Editor’s comment: I look forward to the day when all presenters take the time to create slides for learners instead of slides for their own teaching benefit. I shake my head when a speakers says of a slide, “oh I guess people can’t see that” and then goes on to explain it. They lose me at that point.

Taming the wilderness with inclusive design

A boardwalk traverses a rocky slope down to the lake making it accessible for everyone. Taming the wilderness with inclusive design.The natural landscapes of Norway conjure up pictures of fjords and wilderness with steep slopes. For some people, walks and bike rides in this natural environment aren’t possible. So one municipality of 1287 residents took up the challenge to create an activity park for everyone – locals and visitors of all ages. It was managed as a joint effort between the community and private and public partners. They tame

A man sits in a bike taxi which is being driven down a section of the boardwalk. Taming the wilderness with universal design.Residents had input into all the elements of the park including information signs and a BMX park. Local businesses were invited to tender for contracts, but some thought the investment too much. However, when tourism increased and the cafe trade increased the criticisms receded. The award winning Hamaren Activity Park now gets 10,000 visitors a year.

 

A child rides a BMX bike on the BMX track in the park.The article on the DOGA website provides more information: methods, observations and lots of pictures. There is also a video where the designers and users explain their experiences. It’s in Norwegian but has English captions. Below is a YouTube video without words.

The Stovner Tower is a similar project located in Oslo.