Category: Magazine and newspaper articles

In January 2022, the International Union of Architects and Rehabilitation International launched an access symbol design competition.

The competition was open to architects, graphic designers to create a new international symbol of accessibility.

The winning entry features a white square embedded in a black circle. A black rectangle on the right hand side of the white square resembles an open door. The judges said it was easily recognisable, indicating openness using basic shapes.

The second prize went a German graphic designer, Lena Seifert. The design of a black cross with a black dot within the arms of the cross indicated equality and inclusivity.

The third prize went to Czech architecture student Barbora Tucanova. The simple enveloping design of two curved shapes reflects some of the original wheelchair symbol.

The winning designs were submitted to the ISO/TC 145 “Graphical Symbols” working group for consideration. As at January 2024 we are still waiting for further information.

It’s been said many times that the current international access symbol is misleading. That’s because it makes people think of wheelchair users as the only people needing access considerations. However, it’s so well recognised it’s difficult to change. So we shall see if this competition works.

You can view the extensive gallery of entries to see how varied the ideas are.

Thanks to Ergonomics in Design for All Newsletter for this information.

TikTok has a reputation for being the playground of teenagers and younger adults. However, older adults are having fun with it too.

Compared to Facebook and Twitter, TikTok videos create opportunities for older adults to be influencers across all age groups. A new study from Singapore found that TikTok had both positive and negative aspects for older adults.

In trying to show that “oldies” can be “with it” they make fun of their conditions. But joking about one’s limitations brought about by the ageing process does little to dispel negative stereotypes. Negative stereotypes have an impact on how older adults feel about themselves as they grow older. So it’s not just how other people view them.

These feelings impact health and wellbeing and sense of self. However, the study showed such jokes are outnumbered by videos of older people defying stereotypes and embracing their ageing bodies.

The title of the article is, Not Too Old for TikTok: How Older Adults are Reframing Aging. The researchers compiled the most viewed videos of users aged 60 years and older with at least 100,000 followers. From a base of 1382 videos, they found 348 that had ageing content and these were used for analysis.

Three themes on ageing

Three themes emerged from the videos. Most fell under the theme of defying age stereotypes (71%). These videos were about embracing their ageing bodies. Making light of age-related vulnerabilities was present in 18% of the uploads. These videos joked about age stereotypes about such things as dementia. Calling out ageism (11%) revolved around older people condemning ageist practices.

The authors recommend encouraging older adults to create their own social media content. This is one way to counter some of the negative stereotypes about older people being technophobes. It will also encourage them to share the experiences of later life and become more active in age-based advocacy.

You wouldn’t call a dish-drawer dishwasher assistive technology, but that is what it is. People who have difficulty bending, or fill the dishwasher from a sitting position, find it very assistive. The label of “assistive technology” has come about from the old language of “aids and equipment for the disabled”. But all technology is assistive – it just depends on perspective.

One of the problems is the stigma attached to labelling items as assistive technology. For example, no-one thinks of a handrail on a staircase as being assistive technology. But as soon as one goes in the shower recess – suddenly it becomes a disability device bringing the associated stigma with it. And why the stigma?

Stigma arises from the notion that having a disability or reduced capability is something to hide. In many ways we haven’t moved on from last century thinking. Occupational therapists lament the number of devices left collecting dust in a cupboard. Aesthetics have taken a back-seat in many of these designs which doesn’t encourage use.

But assistive technology could be coming of age. An article in The Conversation covers a new report from the World Health Organisation. The article looks at Australia’s performance in this global report. The recommendations are: to better understand real life experiences, set up a national data-set, and improve workforce capacity.

Enabling people to stay home and live independently is one of the benefits of good choices in assistive technology. So home design is another technology factor – it’s not just about gadgets.

The title of the article is, From glasses to mobility scooters, ‘assistive technology’ isn’t always high-tech.

A previous article shows how technology can upgrade the simple walking cane.

The Microsoft Inclusive Tech Lab is a hub for product development where members of the disability community get to co-design, test, share, and create more inclusive and accessible products. This is where staff and community members work together to create inclusive products for Microsoft.

Microsoft announced new accessibility initiative at the Microsoft Ability Summit. The lab has every support to accommodate every disability. This dedicated space means more people can participate in the co-design process.

The lab is the next step on from the dedicated Xbox team and the Adaptive Controller. Some of the team members got together and created the space and then it evolved beyond gaming to other products.

The lab is described as an embassy for people with disability to demonstrate what is possible when products are intentionally built to be accessible for everyone. See more in the video below.

The lab design

The Tech Lab team had to design the space from the ground up. The floor design has visually distinct patterns. Tactile surfaces like wood and carpet makes them easier to distinguish for people using canes. Felt baffles help with acoustics and lighting levels are controllable. Care was taken with the design of bathrooms, door widths and doorways.

Endgadget website has more on the story with more detail about the designers and the lab. Or you can visit the Microsoft website for their story.

Is urban planning racist?  We could also ask if urban planning is ableist or sexist. The answer to all three is probably, ‘yes’, but to what degree. Lisa Stafford argues strongly that planning is ableist, and transport planners have been considering gender for a while now. In a FastCo article, one architect believes there is racial segregation by design. 

Segregation by Design in the United States aims to document the destruction of communities through urban renewal and freeway construction.  Australians are familiar with this as ‘gentrification’ where certain groups of people are excluded and their social networks decimated. And it is likely to segregate other groups too.

Segregation by Design highlights 80 American cities destroyed by racist planning. It does this though annotated satellite imagery, historical ‘redlining’ maps, and archival photos. Redlining is a term for race-based exclusionary tactics in real estate in the US. 

The title of the FastCo article is, Segregation by Design: How one architect is vizualising the legacy of America’s racist urbanism. The case studies usefully illustrate the arguments and there are links to other references. 

“Segregation By Design joins the conversation at a time of unprecedented spending on American infrastructure. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 unlocks over $1 trillion to remake cities with the promise of a better future. While more money is not the only answer to the mechanisms of oppressive public planning, it’s a promising start. For Susaneck and his passion project, understanding urban planning’s racist past is the key to constructing more equitable cities in the future—filled with accessible public transit, pedestrian-friendly roads, and ample public space for all.”

 

There are many reasons why some people have difficulty communicating. It can arise from a brain injury, a stroke, or a condition such as motor neurone disease. Inability to communicate easily means that often people avoid social situations due to feeling inferior. The Conversation has an article on inclusive communication strategies.

The Conversation article, We can all help to improve communication for people with disabilities, lists some of the simple things that remove the barriers to communication. They range from the type of devices used by Stephen Hawking, to just giving the person time to finish what they are trying to say. Speech is just one aspect of the issue, hearing is the other. There is useful information under each of the headings in the article:

1. 1. Remove communication barriers
   2. Prepare for communication success
   3. Build a conversation together
   4. Use communication aids and alternative strategies when you talk.  

Around 5% of the population, or 1.2 million Australians have a communication disability. It can affect their speech, language, listening, understanding, reading, writing, or social skills.

Communication disability can be lifelong (as for people with cerebral palsy or intellectual disability) or acquired (as for people with stroke and aphasia, motor neurone disease, or traumatic brain injury).

COTA NSW ran a webinar on the Do’s and Don’ts of Downsizing. The first speaker talked about downsizing ‘stuff’ and getting organised whether moving or not.  The second speaker (23 minute mark) gives sound advice about choosing a new home or adapting an existing home. The third speaker (36 minute mark) tells her experience of moving house and provides first hand advice.

The webinar concludes with a panel discussion. One important point raised was how to manage conflict when one partner wants to move and the other doesn’t.  Rather than enter a win-lose situation, start a discussion on “what life do you want to have?”

This approach could also apply to discussing living arrangements with an ageing parent, whether it’s adaptations or moving. Many older people don’t want change and then matters are taken out of their hands when a health crisis occurs. Better to have a home that you can go back to rather than go into care. 

The speakers are Peter Walsh, Margaret Ward, and Christy Owen. It’s chaired by COTA NSW President Joan Hughes. The webinar is one and half hours in total. 

You can also find the video on YouTube. 

Accessible pedestrian signals are evolving. Audible crossing signals devised for people with low vision are a signal for all of us that it’s safe to cross the road.  And now we have the “guiding sound corridor” which gives increased guidance to reach the other side more easily. As soon as a pedestrian activates the signal, the guiding sound corridor emits at both ends of the crossing. Then they just have to follow the sound to cross the street. It gives greater safety and independence because the signal ensures they are going in the right direction.  

An article in the Inclusive City Maker blog explains the system. From a city planner perspective, this kind of device can encourage more walking for people with low vision and their companions.

How does it work?

The blog post explains that a guiding sound corridor needs to have 3 elements to be perfectly efficient:

1. 1. 1. Poles with the accessible pedestrian signals (APS) need to be located face to face, on the same side of the crossing.
      2. The broadcast emitted by the audible pedestrian signals need to be led towards the crossing,
      3. Activation of the APS needs to be simultaneous –  both sides of the crossing are synchronized and paired.

A video on the blog site illustrates how it works.