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Atualmente, o turismo e todos os seus stakeholders têm assumido uma postura mais crítica e sensível relativamente ao mercado do turismo acessível, que se encontra em franca ascensão. No entanto, a falta de formação, consciência e sensibilidade por parte dos profissionais de turismo face a estes clientes pode comprometer a prestação dos serviços. Nesta dissertação, pretende-se aprofundar o conhecimento acerca do turismo acessível na hotelaria em destinos de interior e, também, dar a conhecer casos de boas práticas de acessibilidade na hotelaria nacional, especificamente, ambiciona-se identificar as barreiras existentes na hotelaria da Covilhã à prática turística de pessoas com incapacidade e apresentar propostas de soluções de curto- médio prazo e médio-longo prazo. Para atingir estes objetivos, realizou-se um estudo empírico, por meio de uma abordagem qualitativa, optando-se pelas técnicas de observação direta aos estabelecimentos hoteleiros da Covilhã e inquérito por entrevista semiestruturada, aos responsáveis desses estabelecimentos. Os resultados apurados através de observação direta permitiram identificar as barreiras que se colocam às pessoas com incapacidade na hotelaria da Covilhã. Os resultados da aplicação das entrevistas permitiram aferir a perceção destes hoteleiros relativamente à importância do mercado da incapacidade, relevância da formação em turismo acessível e necessidades de adequação de infraestruturas, equipamentos e serviços. Também permitiu concluir que os hoteleiros reconhecem as suas limitações e estão, cada vez mais, conscientes da importância do mercado do turismo acessível e da oportunidade que este segmento representa para o futuro. Desta forma, foi possível reunir algumas soluções para a mitigação das principais barreiras identificadas, designadamente a obrigatoriedade dos estabelecimentos hoteleiros esclarecerem no seu website e no RNET (Registo Nacional de Empreendimentos Turísticos) o número de quartos que são efetivamente acessíveis, no caso das barreiras estruturais, ou a necessidade de investimento em formação específica acerca da acessibilidade no setor turístico, no caso das barreiras interpessoais.

La propuesta de una vivienda nueva para una persona con discapacidad visual y su familia en el barrio Mutis, Bucaramanga se basa en la adaptación de los espacios internos en el hogar, donde la prioridad radica en la usabilidad, ergonomía y el desarrollo de mapas cognitivos de las personas no videntes. Se abarcan temas específicos los cuales llevan a mejorar el hábitat de dichas personas, propiciando entornos más accesibles en donde puedan deambular, aprehender, orientarse y comunicarse de manera autónoma. The proposal of a housing for a person with visual impairment and his family in the city of Bucaramanga is based on the possibility of coupling on the internal spaces in the home where the priority is based on the functional ergonomics and the stenographic capacity acquired by the blind people to recreate spaces mentally. The topics cover the subjects from which the habitat of these people can be improved by an easy entry and exit. Arquitecto http://www.ustabuca.edu.co/ustabmanga/presentacion Pregrado

This contribution illustrates the results of research that aims to connect the workflow for knowledge – survey, interpretation, modeling – to the transmission of this knowledge and enhancement of Cultural Heritage by physical models, demonstrating its potential in a “Design for All” perspective. Palazzo Mazzonis, the current seat of the MAO (Museo d’Arte Orientale), is one of the many buildings in the historic city center of Turin characterized by a particular complex vaulted atrium: it has been investigated through TLS survey tools for the production of two-dimensional drawings (for the detailed representation of architectural features) and three-dimensional models (for the interpretation of the design idea through geometry). The last phase of work aims to translate the interpretative digital models into tactile models for Cultural Heritage transmission, through processes of digital fabrication, with obvious impacts on the visit path inside the museum, also with didactic purposes.

The aim of this article is to blow the whistle on the upcoming decline in quality and accessibility of the built environment in Poland following a reform currently underway in higher education and ...

El presente estudio partió de la validación de un instrumento que permite diagnosticar el uso educativo de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (TIC) por parte de los docentes universitarios; este se basó en el modelo de competencia digital del profesorado universitario en el siglo XXI. El instrumento se aplicó a una muestra de 172 docentes, y los resultados se revisaron mediante un análisis factorial, en tres categorías: uso e impacto social de las TIC; diseño, gestión y evaluación de las TIC; y análisis e integración de las TIC en la formación, a partir de las cuales se realizó un proceso de triangulación concurrente (DITRIAC), con un enfoque mixto, asociando estas categorías al modelo de competencias TIC para el desarrollo profesional docente, planteado por el Ministerio de Educación de Colombia (MEN), y de esta forma construir un plan de formación de competencias digitales pertinente para los docentes de la Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina, con un enfoque de aprendizaje basado en retos y contextualizado en las problemáticas evidenciadas en el quehacer docente.

Touch interaction has established a dominating role in the realisation of Human–Machine Interfaces. However, to be able to use touch effectively and efficiently, users have to comply with particular prerequisites. Due to age-related changes, such as the decline of tactile accuracy and speed, especially elderly users often struggle with the touch modality. Interfaces that adapt to specific user characteristics could be a promising solution to overcome this problem. Notwithstanding the advantages of adaptive systems, perceived changes in the user interface can reduce the system's predictability and transparency. The present study compares three approaches concerning the adaptation of touch button sizes: no adaptation and adaptation with visible and invisible feedback. Results show that especially elderly users substantially benefit from an adaptive approach. Furthermore, data shows that the type of adaptation supports different usage goals. While adaption with visual feedback enables a higher interaction speed, invisible adaptation leads to a higher degree of accuracy.

Emerging intelligent environments are considered to offer significant opportunities to positively impact human life, both at an individual and at a societal level, and in particular to provide useful means to support people in their daily life activities and thus improve well-being for everybody, especially for older people and for people with limitations of activities. In this context, accessibility and usability, although necessary, are not sufficient to ensure that applications and services are appropriately designed to satisfy human needs and overcome potential functional limitations in the execution of everyday activities fundamental for well-being. This position paper puts forward the claim that, in order to achieve the above objective, it is necessary that: (i) the design of Assistive Intelligent Environments is centered around the well-being of people, roughly intended as the possibility of executing the (everyday) human activities necessary for living (independently), thus emphasizing usefulness in addition to usability; (ii) the technological environment is orchestrated around such activities and contains knowledge about how they are performed and how people need to be supported to perform them; (iii) the environment makes use of monitoring and reasoning capabilities in order to adapt, fine-tune and evolve over time the type and level of support provided, and this process takes place considering ethical values; (iv) the applications must also support the possibility of contact with other people, who in many cases may be the only effective help. Moving forward from the Design for All paradigm, this paper discusses how the latter can be revisited under the perspective of technology’s usefulness and contribution to human well-being. Subsequently, it introduces a practical notion of well-being based on the ICF classification of human functions and activities and discusses how such notion can constitute the starting point and the focus of design approaches targeted to assist people in their everyday life mainly (but not exclusively) in the home environment. As a subsequent step, the need for integrating Artificial Intelligence capabilities in assistive intelligent environments is discussed, based on the complexity of the human problems to be addressed and the diversity of the types of support needed. The proposed approach is exemplified and illustrated through the experience acquired in the development of four applications, addressing vital aspects of human life, namely nutrition, stress management, sleep management and counteracting loneliness. Finally, based on the acquired experience, the need to take into account ethical values in the development of assistive intelligent environments is discussed.

Il massiccio montuoso appenninico delle Madonie, sito nella costa settentrionale siciliana tra i fiumi Imera e Pollina, accoglie nei suoi 39.679 ettari ben 21 centri storici minori sparsi, custodi di un patrimonio di tradizioni e valori che costituiscono l’identità dei luoghi, ormai affidata esclusivamente alla memoria collettiva di una popolazione sempre più anziana e inattiva. Posizionati tra l’altitudine minima del paese di Alimena di 218m s.l.m. e la massima di Geraci Siculo di 1.077m s.l.m., i piccoli e grandi borghi si dispongono da costa a monte, distanti dai grandi centri di agglomerazione urbana e di servizio. Caratterizzati da un patrimonio edilizio fortemente legato alle tradizioni locali del passato e alla maniera tradizionale di abitare strettamente condizionata dalle caratteristiche morfologiche territoriali, tali centri minori sono dotati di una grande potenzialità di attrazione e di sviluppo economico ancora inespressa. The Apennine mountain range of the Madonie, located on the northern Sicilian coast between the Imera and Pollina rivers, hosts in its 39,679 hectares as many as 21 scattered minor historic centers, custodians of a heritage of traditions and values that constitute the identity of the places, now entrusted exclusively to the collective memory of a population increasingly elderly and inactive. Positioned between the minimum altitude of the town of Alimena of 218m above sea level and the maximum of Geraci Siculo of 1,077m a.s.l., the small and large villages are arranged from coast to coast, distant from the large centers of urban agglomeration and service. Characterized by a built heritage strongly linked to the local traditions of the past and the traditional way of living closely conditioned by the morphological characteristics territorial, such smaller centers are endowed with a great potential for attraction and economic development still unexpressed.

Nos encontramos en un contexto sociodemográfico en el que aumenta progresivamente el número de personas que necesitan de cuidados, principalmente personas mayores de 65 años, colectivo mayoritario en la actualidad, en España. Ello genera que aparezcan nuevas demandas y expectativas sobre la atención prestada. Esto supone para la intervención social enfrentarse a un gran reto. Hasta el momento, las formas de intervención social y de atención proporcionados por el sistema, no parecen cubrir con plenitud las necesidades emergentes, fundamentalmente por su escasa adaptación a los nuevos contextos sociales y estilos de vida. Socialmente figuras profesionales como la del/ de la asistente personal suponen una inversión provechosa y sostenible en el contexto de la atención y prestación de servicios, puesto que, desde la praxis profesional del Trabajo Social, así como desde el prisma académico o investigador, supone una apuesta para que las personas en situación de dependencia puedan llevar a cabo su proyecto de vida con libertad e independencia. Por ello, en este trabajo se pretende por un lado visibilizar las necesidades percibidas y expresadas por las personas mayores y/o en situación de dependencia, así como sus demandas y, por otro, definir una nueva figura profesional conceptualizada como Técnico/a de Autonomía Personal y Prevención de la Dependencia (TAP) que de respuesta a los retos planteados a través de la implementación de las nuevas intervenciones basadas en el paradigma de accesibilidad universal y diseño para todas las personas. We are in a socio-demographic context in which the number of people in need of care, mainly people over the age of 65, a majority collective today, in Spain, is increasing progressively. This leads to new demands and expectations about the attention paid. This means that social intervention is facing a great challenge. So far, the forms of social intervention and care provided by the system do not seem to fully meet emerging needs, mainly because of their poor adaptation to new social contexts and lifestyles.Socially professional figures such as that of the personal assistant represent a profitable and sustainable investment in the context of the care and provision of services, since, from the professional practice of Social Work, as well as from the academic prism or researcher, it is a bet so that people in dependency can carry out their life project with freedom and independence. Therefore, this work aims on the one hand to make visible the needs perceived and expressed by the elderly and/or in a situation of dependence, as well as their demands and, on the other hand, to define a new professional figure conceptualized as Technical of Personal Autonomy and Prevention of dependency (TAP) that responds to the challenges posed through the implementation of new interventions based on the paradigm of universal accessibility and design for all people.

With the advancement and development of sophisticated bioinformatics tools, the area of computational bioinformatics and systems biology analysis is expanding day by day. The bipolar or manic-depressive disorder might be characterized as one of the most crippling mental problems that affect the people of early age and grown-ups. The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between genetic mutations in the four above listed diseases and to create a Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network or common pathways. Firstly, we need to find out the genetic relationship between them. Thus it will help us to understand the genetic association between them and help to develop the drug design for all the diseases. Genes responsible for these diseases are gathered, pre-processed, processed and mining using python scripts. This exploration is expected to carry out further measurements in the field of drug structure and also contributes to the biological and biomedical sectors.

Purpose Developing a human-centered design understanding in built environment-related professions and enabling them to encompass diversity are crucial for the improvement of more inclusive environments. Considering the value of guiding experiences of people with disabilities for more inclusive design practice and increasing the awareness of professionals with disabilities in design and building practice plays a key role in achieving this goal. There is a growing effort to implement inclusive and universal design issues to the educational programs of design and related disciplines for about two decades. Contrary to the developments in the pedagogy of “core” design disciplines, human-centered design perspective seems not to be widespread enough in the education of so-called “peripheral” occupations of design, like architectural drafting, especially in Turkey. Design Thinking (DT) approach, which is defined as a way of thinking, is in fact widely used in the design-related fields. In such a need of human-centered and creative problem solving, the approach seems to provide a potential to raise awareness about user-oriented design in such peripheral occupations like architectural drafting education. Considering the widening use of strategies of DT also in non-design fields, the research out of which this article comes from involves a special adaption of the approach. Departing from the ultimate aim “to raise awareness of hearing-impaired architectural drafting students about user oriented architectural design,” it applies the strategies of the DT to this special case and reports the process and its findings, hence not only providing a special instance of the model but also revealing its potential contribution to peripheral or non-design disciplines. Design/Methodology/Approach Since it particularly focuses on understanding of human behavior, provides flexible and holistic tools to investigate such phenomena and since it is based on a systematic and reflective process, the present research was carried out through qualitative research approach and its tools. Findings Study showed that in relation to hearing-impaired students’ underlined need for getting familiarized with the process of architectural design and focusing on human-centered design approach, present application of Design Thinking strategy worked effectively to provide basic information about architectural design, design process, and related tasks and user needs as well, as part of design process for hearing-impaired architectural drafting students with a certain level of hearing loss and language ability. Research Limitations/Implications Since the research was embedded within the existing educational system, data collection and observation processes had to be defined according to these boundaries. Also the students’ level of language abilities and their limited background about their field of study, because that they were first year students were the main limitations of the study. Apart from its aforementioned outcome, the research was a means of expanding the application of the initial DT model, and it could be seen as a contribution to the existing studies concerning the education of the hearing-impaired students. In general, the research illustrated that DT, as a carefully developed approach to be employed particularly for non-design occupations, could also be effectively used to teach design process for disabled design professionals. Consequently, it is thought that it could be applied to the formulation of courses such as; environmental design, design for all, inclusive design, as well as be utilized for students developing empathy with users, familiarizing with observation and interview techniques, and as a means of quick and systematic problem solving sessions. Practical Implications As it might be expected the study primarily contributes to the education of the hearing-impaired students. It helped students to develop an understanding of design process as well as develop their professional schemata (i.e. their conceptual vocabulary). As a research it provides a foundational knowledge concerning application of DT strategies in a specific field of study. Social Implications By nature, one of the basic problems confronting students with disabilities is to make them an integrated part of the society, from daily life to some specialized situations such as professional life and their education. Researcher strongly believes that this study has had implications as such although it was not primarily involved with such a goal. Originality/Value As it might be guessed the present study might be considered as a part of and a contribution to a larger research tradition evolving around the Design Thinking approach, i.e. its application and adaptation to different areas and field, and development of the strategy itself. On the other hand, since it adapts and applies DT to a specific case, and an original problem situation, actually a very rarely addressed one. As such, while it might be considered as a special contribution to that specific tradition, at the same time its primary contribution is to the education of the hearing-impaired students, and its pedagogy.

Various studies highlight a gap on reliable methods to measure the quality of projects and environments in terms of Universal Design (UD) and Design for All (DfA). In particular, healthcare facilities need decision support systems to improve the well-being of as many users as possible through a systematic approach. The present research proposes an evaluation tool to support designers and decision makers in the adoption of UD to develop healthcare facilities suitable for a wide range of users. Several methodologies have been adopted: an in-depth literature review on the current state of knowledge on UD evaluation, workshops and focus groups with both users and experts, and the analysis of four hospital case studies. The result was an evaluation framework built by using a Multi-criteria Analysis (MCA) methodology. The first version of the tool was applied to an American hospital and validated d in an Italian pilot case study. The research outlines a tool called Design for All A.U.D.I.T., able to evaluate Physical, Sensory-cognitive, and Social qualities based on a hierarchical framework with criteria and indicators based on UD and DfA. The framework evaluates the different areas of the hospital from outdoor to indoor spaces, allowing hospital administrators to act to improve the well-being of users according to the critical aspects of UD identified by the tool. The analysis provides a report of the facility status and design strategies to support designers for new projects or buildings renovations. The application shows that DfA A.U.D.I.T. can assess hospitals by examining both spatial qualities and DfA criteria. The tool could represent a decision support system in the national and international context, where many hospitals are not newly built. Further research will include application in different facilities and building typologies, aided by the flexible structure of the tool, which allows measurement of the environment’s quality in terms of DfA and UD.

Diese Masterarbeit befasst sich mit dem Thema Web Accessibility, konkret den empfohlenen Vorgehensweisen und Richtlinien dafür. Barrierefreiheit im Web ist heutzutage zu einem wichtigen Thema geworden. Laut Blindenverband Österreich [30] gibt es weltweit 253 Millionen Menschen, die blind oder sehbehindert sind. Dazu kommen noch viele andere Arten von Behinderungen, die Benutzerinnen und Benutzer bei der Nutzung von Webseiten einschränken. Seit 26. Oktober 2016, gibt es für die Barrierefreiheit im Web EU-Richtlinien, staatliche Gesetze und seit 1994 das World Wide Web Consortium [7], welches für standardisierte World Wide Web Techniken sorgt. Wesentlich hierbei ist die neue EU-Richtlinie 2016/2102 [4], in der die Mitgliedstaaten aufgefordert werden, den Zugang zu Dokumenten, Webseiten und mobilen Anwendungen öffentlicher Bereiche barrierefrei zu gestalten. Im Zuge dieser Masterarbeit wurde erforscht, wieviel zusätzlicher Implementierungsaufwand notwendig ist, um Erfolgskriterien und Techniken umzusetzen, die Webanwendungen barrierefrei gestalten. Des Weiteren wurde auch erforscht, wieviel Implementierungsaufwand hinzukommt um eine Webanwendung statt auf Level A, Level AA konform zu implementieren. Es werden 35 Techniken anhand von Beispielen detailliert erklärt, die in den zwei Webanwendungen des Autors der gegenständlichen Masterarbeit umgesetzt wurden. Um die Forschungsfrage wissenschaftlich zu beantworten hat sich der Autor der gegenständlichen Masterarbeit für eine quantitative Methodik entschieden. Dazu wurde eine Tabelle mit den in den Webanwendungen angewendeten Techniken erstellt. Auf Basis der Tabelle wurden mehrere Unternehmen und Entwickler, die im Bereich Web Accessibility bereits viel Erfahrung gesammelt haben, befragt. Diese Masterarbeit zeigt auch, wie junge Entwicklerinnen und Entwickler vom Erlernen von Best Practices zur Implementierung von Barrierefreiheit-Standards profitieren können. Die Technologien, um Benutzer und Benutzerinnen im World Wide Web gleichberechtigt zu behandeln sind zwar vorhanden, doch die digitale Barrierefreiheit wird auf viel zu wenig Webseiten auch tatsächlich umgesetzt [9]. Web Accessibility bietet aber nicht nur Vorteile für Menschen mit Benachteiligungen, sondern ermöglicht eine Steigerung der User Experience für alle Nutzerinnen und Nutzer. This master's thesis is about web accessibility, its recommended practices and guidelines. Web accessibility has become an important issue these days. According to the Austrian Association of the Blind [30], 253 million people of the world population are blind or visually impaired. There are also various other types of disabilities. Since October 26, 2016, there are EU directives, state laws and a World Wide Web Consortium [7], which ensures standardized World Wide Web technologies. Essential here is the new EU directive 2016/2102 [4], target of this directive is to make access to documents, websites and mobile applications in public areas barrier-free. All EU member states are requested to comply with this new EU directive. In the course of this master's thesis, it was researched how much additional implementation effort is necessary to implement success criteria and techniques that make web applications accessible. In addition, it was also researched how much additional implementation effort is required to implement a web application from level A to level AA in a compliant manner. 35 techniques are explained in detail using examples that have been implemented in the two web applications of the author of this master thesis. In order to answer the research question scientifically, the author of the master thesis decided on a quantitative method. For this purpose, a table was created with the techniques used in the web applications. Based on the table, several companies and developers with experience in Web Accessibility have been questioned. This master's thesis also shows how young developers can benefit from learning best practices. The technologies for equal participation are available, but far too few websites actually implement digital accessibility. Web accessibility not only offers advantages for people with disadvantages, it also enables all users to increase the user experience. Abweichender Titel laut Übersetzung der Verfasserin/des Verfassers Masterarbeit Wien, FH Campus Wien 2022