1E8 - Universal DesignLow Vision: Root Conditions (LV-RC) Blindness: Root Conditions (B-RC) Diabetes mellitus Glaucoma Cataracts Macular degeneration Retinitis pigmentosa Retinal detachment

1E8 - Universal Design

http://www.cs.tcd.ie/Alexis.Donnelly/1e8/

Alexis DonnellyDepartment of Computer Science,

O'Reilly Institute,

office: LG.21

E-mail: [email protected]

1E8-Lecture 3 Alexis.Donnelly Page 1 of 37

Overview

... answer to a question (following last lecture)

Tiny bit more History & Background on UD

A Better Understanding of Impairments/Disablement [THE TABLE]

The Elements of Thought and Action

One Strategy - The EZ Approach (incl Demo)


?? Can Historic Buildings be Made Accessible?

PROBLEM

Access Modifications might alter the historic character of (an inaccessible) buildingsignificantly. What do you do?

ANSWER

Yes, it can be done.It's sometimes hard.But it's more possible than you think - imagination required - think outside the box!

Some Examples:

Ashmolean Museum, OxfordFaneuil Hall / Quincy Market, BostonTall Ships: Tenacious and DiscoveryTemple of Queen Hatshepsut (<smile>!)


[photo: Access to the Historic Environment, Lisa Foster]

ORIGINALLY: Main entrance via a classical pedimented portico (to right). The whole building sits on a largeelevated forecourt podium (in foreground) reached by steps immediately adjacent to the footpath (to left). Architectswanted to remove forecourt podium completely and provide access via basement. But forecourt podium was anessential element of the architecture!


[drawing credit: Access to the Historic Environment, Lisa Foster]

SOLUTION: Push the steps and handrail towards museum and away from the footpath. This allowed front and sidesof forecourt podium to be excavated for a ramp (see plan).


Lower part of new ramp excavated from front offorecourt podium. Footpath is to right on far side ofstone balustrade. Relocated steps are to the left of(and behind) new stone doorway and bottom ofthis ramp.[photo credit: Access to the Historic Environment, Lisa Foster]


[photo: Wikipedia] [sketch:

Access to the Historic Environment, Lisa Foster]

Faneuil Hall, erected 1742, gutted by fire 1763. Important role duringAmerican Revolution - "Cradle of Liberty" Telescopic, hydraulic platform lift at main entrance. Give lots of trouble.


Original side elevation. Third window from the front ofbuilding was converted to arched doorway.[photo: Access to the Historic Environment, Lisa Foster]

New side elevation. Third arch from front of building nowhas doorway leading to an internal platform lift.[photo: Access to the Historic Environment, Lisa Foster]


Scott of the Antarctic's Ship Discovery at Dundee

No access to ship for wheelchair users, but video hut on quayside.[Impression of hull thickness better conveyed on the video!]

pictures taken from http://www.rrsdiscovery.com/


Tenaciousof the Jubilee Sailing Trust

Tall ship designed universally from the outset.

wheelchair user being hoisted aloft

taken from wheelchair accessible bowsprit taken by wheelchair-userphotos: Lecturer's own and from Jubilee Sailing Trust

PS: Tenacious has won several Tall Ship sailing awards including the prestigious Cutty Sark Trophy


[photo credit: Ian Lloyd (Wikipedia)]

Temple of Queen Hatshepsut, Luxor, Egypt - ramp integral to design!


UD:A Primer on Vocabulary

Impairment:A non-average physical attribute of a person (e.g. blindness)

Medical Model:Fix/compensate for the impairment. May segregate the person

Social Model:Adjust/(re-)Design the environment to allow full participation

Disability:Arises from exclusion due to impairment in a non-accessible environment


UD - (PC Background)

A person with an impairment is disabled by a badly designed environment. Twoelements of a solution:

Fix the person: (THE MEDICAL MODEL)drugs, surgery, prosthesis, assistive technology aid, rehabilitation, hospitalisation

Fix the environment:(THE SOCIAL MODEL)better design, awareness required, but benefits accrue to all,This is UD!

N.B. Bits of both are necessary, but the second is preferred!


UD - A Human Rights Issue?

Designed-in exclusion is wrong!

US Legislation:ADA, Rehabilitation Act extensions, Telecommunications Act...(most lay down detailed technical standards).

less developed in Europe, but this is changing....

Council of Europe Resolution:

"Education and training of all occupations working on the built environment shouldbe inspired by the principles of universal design."

[ Feb 2001 - Resolution of Council of Ministers]

(Council of Europe = parent body for the European Convention on Human Rights(ECHR) - recently incorporated into Irish Law

NB: Today's "soft law" becomes tomorrow's hard law.


UD - A Business Case?

Accessibility is part of Usability is next to Profitability.

If a PwD can use a product/environment easily, then it is likely to be more usable byeveryone.Microsoft: 140 usability engineersOracle: 8,000 sq ft usability lab, 65 engineers

[see BusinessWeek Article, 4 Dec 2002]

In the case of the Web:

2.5 billion hours lost in 1999 waiting for pages to downloadUS$4.35 billion estimated lost in e-commerce sales in 2000 due to poor websiteusability

[source: Zona Research, Stephanie Wong. 1999]

... designing accessible sites would reduce these losses (and make site maintenanceeasier).


Familiarity with Impairments/Disablements

We'll briefly examine some typical impairments from several design-related points ofview:

Impairmentreason/cause/conditionsAnalogous Disabling EnvironmentBarriers/Problems encountered due to Conventional designCoping StrategiesCoping Tools

Impairments:Low Vision, Blindness, Low Hearing, Profound Deafness, Motor skills / Mobility,Cognitive


The Impairments-Environments-and-Strategies Table

Impairment Symp. RootCause

SimilarDisabling

Envr.

BarriersFound

CopingStrategies

CopingTools

Low Vision LV-S LV-RC LV-SDE LV-BF LV-CS LV-CTBlindness B-S B-RC B-SDE B-BF B-CS B-CT

Low Hearing LH-S LH-RC LH-SDE LH-BF LH-CS LH-CTProfoundDeafness PD-S PD-RC PD-SDE PD-BF PD-CS PD-CT

Motor Skills /Mobility ... ... ... ... ... ...

Cognitive ... ... ... ... ... ... [source: based on work done at Trace Research & Development Center

Univ of Wisconsin]


Low Vision: Symptoms (LV-S)Blindness: Symptoms (B-S)

Low Vision:

Lowered Central Acuity (Focus, Cloudiness)DistortionSpots or Floaters, Field of View DefectsAbnormal SensitivityNight BlindnessOscillopsia (Nystagmus)

Blindness:

Legal Blindness (20/200 or less, OR less than 20-degree field; in better eye, aftercorrection)Light PerceptionTotal BlindnessColour BlindnessOnset: Congenital / Acquired; Age, Diabetes


Low Vision: Root Conditions (LV-RC)Blindness: Root Conditions (B-RC)

Diabetes mellitusGlaucomaCataractsMacular degenerationRetinitis pigmentosaRetinal detachmentOptic nerve atrophyTraumaKeratoconusToxoplasmosisAchromatopsiaWeakness occurring with age


Low Vision : Similar Disabling Envrs. (LV-SDE)Blindness: Similar Disabling Envrs. (B-SDE)

Eyes busy - driving, texting on mobile phone,temporarily dazzled by sun, headlightsforgotten glassessmudged glasses


Low Vision: Barriers Found (LV-BF)Blindness: Barriers Found(B-BF) [1/2]

Reading dials and gauges (clock , watch, blood pressure gauge, glucometer)Use of visual displays and other visual output from devicesManipulation of objects (e.g., insertion/placement, assembly)Differentiating colors (used on devices, signage, cooking, glucose measuring)Dressing in appropriate attire and colors to fit the environment and/or occasionIdentification of objects (including food, boxes, etc.) and persons correctly"Reading" body language, being aware of expressions, gestures, posture, eye gaze,etc.


Low Vision: Barriers Found (LV-BF)Blindness: Barriers Found(B-BF) [2/2]

Way-finding (following paths, reading signs, maps, building directories, door labels,determining the floor in an elevator, sensing trafficAny activities requiring distant or peripheral visionDriving a car or other vehicleSeeing television, live sports, movies, plays, other entertainmentParticipating in sportsAny activities requiring eye-hand coordination (e.g., use of a computer mouse/game,writing)


Low Vision: Coping Strategies (LV-CS)Blindness: Coping Strategies (B-CS)

Identification of hazards, hazard warnings or labelsTactile Signs / Raised Letters / BrailleAuditory PresentationCompanionMagnifyClose up viewingIlluminateIncrease Contrast / Reduce GlareIncrease Signal to Noise / Reduce Flicker


Low Vision: Coping Tools (LV-CT)Blindness: Coping Tools (B-CT)

Cane (with / without sensor )Trained Guide DogScreen-reader on a computerOptical Character recognition (OCR)magnifier (glass & electronic)mini-telescope / monocular


Low Hearing: Symptoms (LH-S)Profound Deafness: Symptoms (PD-S)

Profound deafness: 90 dB required to notice; speech can't be understoodHearing Impairment: not as severe, but speech hard to understandDue to Mechanical/Conduction or sensor/Neural problems


Low Hearing: Root Causes (LH-RC)Profound Deafness: Root Causes (PD-RC)

HeredityInfections & DiseasesAcoustic nerve tumors & impairmentsMedications (Ototoxic drugs)Ageing


Low Hearing: Similar Disabling Envrs. (LH-SDE)Profound Deafness: Similar Disabling Envrs. (PD-SDE)

Noisy Environmentworking underwaterworking in spaceForced silence - library, in a meeting


Low Hearing: Barriers Found (LH-BF)Profound Deafness: Barriers Found (PD-BF) [1/2]

Hearing or understanding speech; missing phonetic jokesUsing the telephoneWorking in a classroomListening to Radio, TV, concert, presentationSpeakingpoor or sometimes unintelligible speechdetermining how loudly they themselves are speakingAuditory Alerts - phones, doorbells, timers, alarm clocks, appliancesEnvironmental sounds - crowds, animals, traffic, sirens, horns, approaching trainsetcPublic Address systems - flight boarding, train departing, table ready


Low Hearing: Barriers Found (LH-BF)Profound Deafness: Barriers Found (PD-BF) [2/2]

Problems with Interactive Voice response (IVR) Systems, even assuming there is aSpeech/Text Relay Service.texting between different mobile phone operators (in early days!)

NB Sign Language has own properties:

confers a different identityoften, but not always iconicsome finger-spellingmany different dialects (ASL, BSL, ISL [m+f]...)questions by facial expressionsno tenses


Low Hearing: Coping Strategies (LH-CS)Profound Deafness: Coping Strategies (PD-CS)

Alternative presentations - visual - (text, graphic ...)Alternative presentations - gestural - (hand movement, touch, Sign Language ...)Companion


Low Hearing: Coping Tools (LH-CT)Profound Deafness: Coping Tools (PD-CT)

AmplificationReduce signal-to-noise ratiofrequency-shift to remaining hearing bandwidthHearing AidT-CoilInfra-red systemneck loopTTY (teletypewriter)TDD (telephone device for the deaf)pagertexting on a mobile phonedeaf alerter (fire alarm & doorbell)videophonetext-to-speech relay service


Next Lecture:

Mobility /Motor impairmentsCognitive Impairments


The Interaction Cycle [1/2]

This cycle is at the root of all interactions with machines.

Supports and alternatives necessary at each stage!


The Interaction Cycle [2/2]

Each of these can be broken down further:

1. Perceive:- gather sensory data- interpret sensory data

2. Understand:- Evaluate data- Conclude as to state of world

3. Decision/Selection:- Select overall goal- Generate series of sub-tasks- Sequence sub-tasks

4. Action:- Specify the action- Arrange manipulators- Carry out tasks

[see Donald Norman's books "The Psychology of Everyday Things"or "The Design of Everyday Things"


EZ Access Approach

An inclusive scheme to support the Interaction Cycle

© by Trace Research & Development Center

Green button is HELPYellow triangles are SCROLL-UP and SCROLL-DOWNYellow circle is SELECT/DOvoice and visual output are usually present too.

Many appliances / kiosks / devices can have this interface added rather easily ifdesigned in from the start.


EZ Door Entry System1E8-Lecture 3 Alexis.Donnelly Page 36 of 37

Demos of EZ system

Bank ATMTicket-vending MachineElectronic Voting Machine


Documents

1E8 - Universal DesignLow Vision: Root Conditions (LV-RC) Blindness: Root Conditions (B-RC) Diabetes mellitus Glaucoma Cataracts Macular degeneration Retinitis pigmentosa Retinal detachment