Achieving full participation through universal design

The Norwegian government’s action plan for universal design and increased accessibility

2009-2013.

Dublin, Ireland, 1. October 2009

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Sustainable development

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Sustainable economic and social development

• The Government will pursue an economic policy that promotes value creation and combats unemployment and exclusion from society and working life.

• The Government will seek to ensure that products and the physical environment are as far as possible developed according to the principles of universal design.

• Universal design also involves redesigning workplaces to take account of people with disabilities, and this will reduce their exclusion from working life as measured by Indicator 17.– Sustainability indicator 17 is Long-term

unemployed persons and disability pensioners as a percentage of the age group 18-66 years

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Laws and regulations supporting the implementation of universal design

Anti-Discrimination and Accessibility Act

Building and planning (buildings, outdoor areas etc.)

ICT (web, ticket machines, cash dispensers etc)

Transportation (trains, busses, ships, infrastructure etc)

Education (buildings, learning environment)

Public procurement All goods purchased by the public sector

Act relating to councils for people withdisabilities in local authorities and county councilsActivities and policies in municipalities and counties

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Vision: Norway universally designed by 2025• Prioritised areas:

– Outdoor areas/planning, buildings, transport and ICT.– Sector-overarching measures: activities in municipalities,

national indicators og standards, communication policy, children and young people

• Number of measures:– 2009: ca 150

• Total budget, all ministries: – Unknown (exceeds NOK 200 mill./€ 22,7 mill in 2009)

• Participating ministries: – 16

• Period: 5 years (2009-2013)– Will be reviewed each year.

• Political anchoring:– The Government– Follow-up: Parliamentary Secretary Committee on the overall

policy for people with disabilities. • Participation

– Reference group (NGOs, research institutes etc.)

• Coordination responsibility – The Ministry of Children and Equality

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Strategy

• Strengthen the sector responsibility principle– The individual ministry is to review its area of responsibility

and assess the need for additional deadlines and specific measures

• Support the use of legal instruments – The Anti-Discrimination and Accessibility Act, The Planning

and Building Act, The Public Procurement act, etc.– New laws and regulations

• Strengthen the use of non-legal instruments – Public market powers, administrative powers, management of

the departments. – Standardisation– Research – Economic instruments

• Increased contribution and cooperation– The Ministries, The Norwegian State Council on Disability, The

National Council for Senior Citizens, The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, NGOs

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Measures: Planning and outdoor areas

• National development project in county councils and local authorities.– Urban and regional planning (The Ministry of the Environment)

http://www.universell-utforming.miljo.no/

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Measures: Transport

• The National Transport Plan 2010-2019. – Measures to develop universal design

in all sectors of transport and infrastucture.

(The Ministry of Transport and Communications)

Total budget universal design 2010-2019: NOK 4,47 billion/€ 0,51 billion.

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National indicator system to assess the development of universal design.

• Planning and outdoor areas – County and municipality plans (Statistics Norway) – Parks and open air areas (Statistics Norway)– Urban centres (Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre

Authority. Pending)• Buildings

– All buildings including dwellings (Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority. Pending)

• Transportation – Terminals and busstops (Norwegian Public Roads

Administration)– Other indicators for transportation pending.

• ICT– Public websites (The Agency for Public Management and

eGovernment )– Other indicators for ICT pending.

A comprehensive plan for indicators to be presented in 2009

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Universal design – clarification

• Limiting the scope– The use in laws– The use in regulations– Standardisation

• Expanding the scope– Innovation– Interdisciplinary developement

http://www.universell-utforming.miljo.no/

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