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The number of people with dementia worldwide will reach 115.4 million by 2050. This accelerating crisis has sparked research on how to design neighbourhoods for those with early dementia, and how to empower them through built environment changes to remain in their community for as long as possible. There are numerous benefits for persons with dementia who continue access to their neighbourhood: physical activity, sense of dignity, social interaction, autonomy and psychological wellbeing. In this paper, I examine 17 recommendations (urban design and land use strategies) identified as ‘dementia-friendly’, within dementia design and planning literature. Each is then examined against the planning frameworks for a mid-size suburban municipality in Ontario and assessed for its financial impact on a base case subdivision using pro forma analysis. The effect on the financial return for a developer was minimal, demonstrating that establishing these recommendations as policy is viable, through regulation and incentives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measures of accessibility typically focus on the physical environment and aspects relating to getting into and out of spaces. The transient sound environment is less well characterized in typical accessibility measures. Hearing accessibility measures can be based upon physical indices or functional assessment. The physical measures are indices that use signal-to-noise ratios to evaluate audibility while the functional assessment tool adopts universal design for hearing (UDH) principles derived from principles of universal design. The UDH principles include (1) Optimization of the hearing environment for all; (2) Optimization of interactions between persons and objects to promote better hearing in an environment; (3) Optimization of opportunities for people to have multiple choices of interactions with one another; (4) Optimization of opportunities for people to perform different activities in and across environments; (5) Optimization of opportunities for people to have safe, private, and secure use of the environment while minimizing distraction, interference, or cognitive loading; and (6) Optimization of opportunities for people to use the environment without extra steps for hearing access during preparatory, use and/or after use phases. This paper compares the two approaches using case examples from post-secondary classrooms in order to describe the potential advantages and limitations of each. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Participation in outdoor recreation is associated with improvements in mental, emotional, and physical health. Individuals with impairments affecting mobility, such as wheelchair users, face environmental, physical, and social barriers to participation in outdoor recreation. There is limited research on outdoor recreation participation among wheelchair users, especially concerning informal recreational opportunities. Formal programmes that offer access to outdoor recreation are often oversubscribed and also do not enable opportunities to participate more spontaneously. (1) To explore the experiences and impact of participation in outdoor recreation activities by wheelchair users, with an emphasis on more informal activities; and (2) to identify perceived barriers and facilitators to participation in outdoor recreation activities. Semi-structured interviews were the main means of data collection in this interpretive description study; this was supplemented by photographs of activity involvement provided by participants. These data were analysed thematically. Fifteen Canadian wheelchair users participated in the study. Three themes emerged following analysis: (1) Into the Woods explores participants' current outdoor recreation experiences, (2) Ain't No Mountain High Enough looks at the barriers and challenges participants face, and (3) Just Around the Riverbend discusses participants' desired changes to enable their further participation. The study highlighted participants' current experiences, their perceived barriers, and several ways to enhance outdoor recreation participation among wheelchair users, including: developing new adaptations, creating policies, increasing access to affordable equipment and programmes, and reducing barriers in built and natural environments. Wheelchair users participate in a wide variety of outdoor activities. Wheelchair users experience various barriers and challenges when participating in outdoor recreation. Despite recent improvements, environmental changes are needed to allow wheelchair users to access outdoor recreation. Further development of adaptive equipment is needed in order for wheelchair users to access their desired outdoor recreation activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:Winter-related research about the experience of navigating in the urban context has mostly focused on the elderly population with physical disabilities. The aim of this project was to explore potential design solutions to enhance young people’s mobility devices and the built environment to improve accessibility and participation in winter. Methods:A multi-method qualitative design process included the following steps: (1) in-depth interviews; (2) photo elicitation; (3) individual co-design sessions; and (4) group co-design sessions (i.e., focus group). The participants were 13 youths (nine males and four females), aged 12–21, who used a wheelchair (12 power chair users and one manual wheelchair), for some with their parents, others without their parents, according to the parents' willingness to participate or not in the study (n = 13). The first two authors conducted group co-design sessions with mechanical engineers and therapists/clinicians in two Canadian cities to discuss the feasibility of the designs. Results (findings):The youths and their parents reported different winter-related challenges and proposed specific design solutions to enhance their participation and inclusion in winter activities. Seven of these designs were presented at two group co-design sessions of therapists/clinicians and engineers. Two designs were found to be feasible: (1) a traction device for wheelchairs in snow and (2) a mat made of rollers to clean snow and dirt from tires. The results of this research highlight the frustrations and challenges youths who use wheelchairs encounter in winter and a need for new solutions to ensure greater accessibility in winter. Conclusions:Therapists/clinicians and designers should address winter-related accessibility problems in areas with abundant snow. Implications for RehabilitationSeveral studies show that current urban contexts do not necessarily respond accurately to the needs of individuals with limited mobility.Winter-related research about the experience of navigating in the urban context is limited and has mostly focused on the elderly population with physical disabilities.Our results clearly show that youth who use mobility devices want to be able to get around in the snow, wander outdoors, play and enjoy social participation in activities with their peers and friends.Our findings provide a starting point for the development of additional studies to seek a better understanding of the person–environment interaction in winter conditions, with tangible results in the form of better design solutions.Clinicians and designers must address such issues in northern countries and areas where snow is abundant. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]