Search

Traditional qualitative inquiry research methods exhort us to look for the 'good' story tellers who use metaphors to describe their experiences, emotions, and events. This privileges abled-bodied individuals, meaning that without full individual accessibility for people with disability is not achieved. The objective of this paper is to present a case study on inclusion of research participants who live with deafblindness. This case study posits where qualitative story telling spaces currently are; whose voices occupy these narratives; what is said and how it is said: and the performative aspects of the qualitative inquiry currently. Research including people with disability is reflected in the evidence base, however the question that if qualitative methods don't seek to explore and understand these differences, epistemic injustices will be perpetrated. The case study reflects on a research project whose methodology sought to solicit hospital experiences for those living with deafblindness. The Australian study of 18 deafblind participants with wide ranging communication needs, shared in-depth narrative inquiry stories told in: 'snapshots' of moments of disempowerment; through sign and vibrotactile communication; usage of the strong verb with metaphor rarely present except to exclusively describe instances of dehumanisation. Narrative inquiry method when used with people who are deafblind is predominately chaotic with some tense instability for non-signing participants. Emphasis is via repetition, altered pitch and expletives. Touch centricity is fundamental. Dissonance is evident between words used and stories told. The thematic analysis identified a need to reflect epistemically across the creation of any qualitative project from beginning to end, focussing on what is being said and how it is being said or signed or felt. The conclusion of the paper provides a roadmap for future projects to ensure improvements in the enhancing of awareness of different ways of being, doing and telling in qualitative research methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased accessibility of technology is often employed as rationale for data extraction and surveillance. This paper examines critical perspectives on surveillance and educational technologies from Library and Information Science (LIS) literature, as well as those from disability studies that concern technology development more broadly. This research aims to understand how a disability justice framework can interrogate both the overall expansion of surveillance technologies and justifications for increased surveillance that argue that data extraction and analytics lead to increased accessibility for disabled users. As an activist approach toward disability advocacy that underscores the connections between white supremacy, sexism and colonialism as central to ableism, disability justice recognizes surveillance technologies as embedded in systems of power that disproportionately harm people of color, immigrants, transgender people, and gender nonconforming people. Using a disability justice framework, this paper argues against the expansion of surveillance technologies – especially in the name of increasing accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern society, people engage in social interactions and activities outside their own home. When in public settings people may need to eliminate bodily waste, so public toilets are required. Accessibility, availability and adaptability are essential principles for safe, private, and purposeful visits to public toilets. A diverse range of individuals use public toilets: various age profiles, all gender groups, vulnerable individuals and people with additional needs. Public toilets essentially need to be a place of privacy, safety and cleanliness to facilitate elimination of urine, evacuation of faeces, management of menstruation, and changing/disposing of continence wear products in a secure environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The awareness that museums must be inclusive and participatory led to practices adapted to visitors' requirements and co-creative experiences, encouraging interaction with exhibitions, and thus fostering memorable experiences. Yet, constraints remain for people with disabilities, reducing their satisfaction and desire to return. Despite the high number of people with visual impairments worldwide, there is a lack of research on factors that may impact their co-creation in museums. This paper aims to identify factors influencing the co-creation of people with visual impairments experiences in museums, either facilitating or constraining it. Based on focus groups discussion, the results of the study conducted suggest that the co-creation of people with visual impairments in museums is influenced both by aspects related to visitors, as well as by disabling features of the museums' physical, communicational, and attitudinal environments. Conclusions and implications drawn are critical to improve the experience of people with visual impairments in museums. This article highlights that despite the high number of people with visual impairments worldwide, many still face constraints when visiting museums. The article reveals that several museums offer opportunities for interacting with the whole museum environment and co-creating value, to trigger memorable experiences. This paper fills a research gap by analysing how a set of factors influence people with visual impairments to get involved in co-creation in museums, either facilitating or constraining it. The research found that the factors that influence co-creation of experiences of people with visual impairments in museums can be related to the visitors or to the museums, including physical, communicational and attitudinal aspects. The article provides guidelines to improve the co-creation in museums of people with visual impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher education has seen a significant shift in the last two decades, with contemporary students representing more diverse cohorts who are increasingly balancing study alongside competing life-roles and responsibilities. Given the rise in student attrition and concerns regarding engagement, we saw a visible need to consider how our students could be better supported in managing their study requirements which might improve retention and engagement. We asked students what best helps them to manage their learning and time, and this study reports on responses from 430 students over 8 course offerings between 2019 and 2021. Responses were coded using inductive category development and grouped into internal and external locus of control. The findings reveal 52.6% students demonstrated an interplay of internal and external locus of control factors, while 29.5% identified fully internal and 17.9% indicated fully external LOC. The study highlights that flexible, multi-pronged strategies and institutional supports are fundamental in supporting diverse modern tertiary student populations. The paper concludes with considerations for educators and higher education institutions, drawing on the principles of Universal Design for Learning and pedagogical care that may address many aspects raised by students that are outside their locus of control, which may consequently benefit student retention and engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to social-ecological models, the built and natural environment has the potential to facilitate or hinder physical activity (PA). While this potential is well researched in urban areas, a current systematic review of how the built and natural environment is related to PA in rural areas is lacking. Methods: We searched five databases and included studies for adults (18–65 years) living in rural areas. We included quantitative studies investigating the association between any self-reported or objectively measured characteristic of the built or natural environment and any type of self-reported or objectively measured PA, and qualitative studies that reported on features of the built or natural environment perceived as barriers to or facilitators of PA by the participants. Screening for eligibility and quality assessment (using the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields) were done in duplicate. We used a narrative approach to synthesize the results. Results: Of 2432 non-duplicate records, 51 quantitative and 19 qualitative studies were included. Convincing positive relationships were found between the availability and accessibility of places for exercise and recreation and leisure-time PA as well as between the overall environment and leisure-time PA. Possible positive associations were found between the overall environment and total and transport-related PA, between greenness/natural environment and total PA, between cycling infrastructure and aesthetics and MVPA, and between pedestrian infrastructure and total walking. A possible negative relationship was found between safety and security and total walking. Qualitative studies complemented several environmental facilitators (facilities for exercise and recreation, sidewalks or streets with low traffic, attractive natural environment) and barriers (lack of facilities and destinations, lack of sidewalks, speeding traffic and high traffic volumes, lack of street lighting). Conclusions: Research investigating the relationship between the built and natural environment and PA behaviors of adults living in rural areas is still limited and there is a need for more high-quality and longitudinal studies. However, our most positive findings indicate that investing in places for exercise and recreation, a safe infrastructure for active transport, and nature-based activities are possible strategies that should be considered to address low levels of PA in rural adults. Trial registration: PROSPERO: CRD42021283508. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with sensory disabilities constitute a significant portion of society whose accessibility needs must be prioritized in the design of the built environment. Sensory disabilities cause a gap in the environmental information received, most commonly visual and/or auditory cues, that requires consideration to create equal opportunities and experiences for all. This paper evaluates the quality and representation of existing research on accessibility for people with sensory disabilities, aiming to identify gaps and inconsistencies in current studies. By considering variations in disability type, degree of impairment, and assistive aid usage, we seek to enhance the development of inclusive accessibility standards. Through this analysis, we aim to provide actionable insights for future research and contribute to the creation of more equitable built environments for all individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work education is mandated to provide inclusivity and accessibility to all students. Critical disability theory (CDT) challenges the notion that disabilities should be eradicated; rather, it declares that different abilities should be acknowledged and embraced as contributions. Universal design (UD), originating as a framework for accessible architectural building designs, has become a pedagogical approach in education. UD supports CDT and takes it farther by suggesting how to develop an inclusive environment. Through the lens of CDT and UD, this conceptual paper provides the rationale for educators to increase classroom inclusivity and accessibility by adding closed captions to all learning materials, presentations and videos, Closed captions, the text of verbal language, is beneficial for many different types of students, including those with processing disorder or hearing loss, those who did not learn English as their primary language, and those who have difficulty with focus. Further, this paper seeks to provide a step-by-step instruction manual to assist instructors with immediately including captions in their learning materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the prevalence of bias in artificial intelligence text-to-image models utilized in the architecture and design disciplines. The rapid pace of advancements in machine learning technologies, particularly in text-to-image generators, has significantly increased over the past year, making these tools more accessible to the design community. Accordingly, this paper aims to critically document and analyze the collective, computational, and cognitive biases that designers may encounter when working with these tools at this time. The paper delves into three hierarchical levels of operation and investigates the possible biases present at each level. Starting with the training data for large language models (LLM), the paper explores how these models may create biases privileging English-language users and perspectives. The paper subsequently investigates the digital materiality of models and how their weights generate specific aesthetic results. Finally, the report concludes by examining user biases through their prompt and image selections and the potential for platforms to perpetuate these biases through the application of user data during training. Graphical Abstract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Design for All or Universal Design is a relatively new domain in Ergonomics. With globally ageing populations, it has however recently gained significant interest. OBJECTIVE: This position paper summarizes the outcomes of a workshop held at the virtual 21st Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association. The paper expands the horizon of traditional Ergonomics into a domain where people are differently abled and establishes a platform for the essential needs of future ergonomic standards which are required to inform inclusive design guidelines, or Design for All, extending the range of users. METHODS: The paper includes contributions from Asian, Australian, European and US workshop participants who are accessibility design experts in their respective geographic regions. The paper summarizes issues related to anthropometry in the Design for All, based on recent work in the US (Access board) and actual developments in various national and international accessibility standardization bodies, such as the Standards Australia/Standards New Zealand, the European Standardization Organization (EN 17210:2021; EN 17161:2019) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 21542:2021 and BS ISO 7176-5:2008). CONCLUSIONS: The paper concludes that despite the identification of a significant gap in knowledge of the anthropometry of people with disabilities as far back as 1990, work towards bridging the gap and enabling ergonomic standardization has not progressed since then globally. The lack of standardization in anthropometric data on people with a physical disability continues to complicate provision of data for mobility and accessibility design and hampers accessibility standardization efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to advance the debate on transport accessibility. While cognitive barriers to accessibility receive some attention in public transport research and policy, studies focus on discrete services and little research has addressed access solutions focused on the scale of the transport network. To address this gap, this paper presents the results from a one-day focus group with 16 public transport and disability advocacy practitioners in Victoria, Australia. The study reveals three concurrent ongoing developments in Victorian public transport that pose both opportunities and barriers to improving accessibility for people with intellectual disabilities across the extended metropolitan network. They are: diversification of transport services and providers; increased reliance on innovation in communication technology; and the need for inclusive forms of citizen participation mechanisms. The paper builds on the theory of mobility justice to argue that achieving greater transport accessibility requires network-wide, collaborative policies on accessibility. The paper demonstrates that a focus on cognitive access barriers in public transport enriches mobility justice as it highlights the distributed responsibility across a public transport network for the limited mobility of a marginalised group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The deterioration of the environment in the 21st century has made environmental issues one of the most severe tests for modern society. With this comes a change in energy structure from high-carbon to low-carbon direction, and electric vehicles are gradually developing into the darling of a city with low-carbon transportation and safe travel. This paper carries out a systematic analysis of landscape design and environmental protection in the development of new energy electric vehicle charging facilities in urban habitat. By categorizing the content and provisions of published domestic and international standards, new requirements for standardization are obtained, including barrier-free design, electromagnetic radiation, child safety protection, and urban landscape integration. Among them, ecological landscape public charging facilities can enhance the overall quality of urban environment. This paper analyzes the necessity of landscape design in charging facilities, explores the ecological concepts extended by macroscopic landscape design principles and the problems of public charging facilities, and proposes a design and evaluation method of ecologically landscaped public charging facilities based on hierarchical analysis and neural networks. The hierarchical analysis method is introduced to establish a landscape design assessment index system, and then a neural network is introduced to describe the characteristics of electric vehicle charging, and the landscape design assessment learning samples are trained to establish a landscape design assessment model. Finally, a comparison experiment is conducted with other landscape design assessment methods using specific examples, and the results show that the proposed method has more obvious advantages in ecological landscape public charging facility design assessment with high accuracy, faster landscape design assessment, charging efficiency, and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper based on the changes in people's perception of disability, first proposes the"Datong Model"with Chinese characteristics out of the Western"Universal Model"; and by reviewing the progress in accessible design methods, the"Integrated Design"with Chinese characteristics out of the foreign"Universal Design". It then puts forward the strategies of accessible integrated design, namely otherness, complexity, flexibility, conspicuousness and wholeness, which are applied Zhejiang Disability Services and Support Centre. In the context of Chinese modernization, the concept and methodology which are adapted to the Eastern cultural tradition, provide a reference for accessible design for all-age users and diverse needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic is the mandate to stay home and practice physical distancing. In Canada, with essential activities such as grocery shopping, outdoor exercise and transportation, people need to be able to safely navigate dense, urban spaces while staying at least two metres or six feet apart. This pandemic has exacerbated the health inequities across neighbourhoods in cities like Toronto, Canada which are often segregated along racial and income lines. These inequities impact who has access to urban infrastructure that promotes health and quality of life. Safety in a time of COVID-19 goes beyond just exposure to the virus, it is complicated by notions of who belongs where, and who has access to what resources. The built environment has a role in maintaining and promoting physical and mental health during this pandemic and beyond it. This paper puts forwards three considerations for built environment interventions to promote health equitably: (i) addressing structural determinants of health and embedding anti-racist intersectional principles, (ii) revisiting tactical urbanism as a health promotion tool and (iii) rethinking community engagement processes through equity-based placemaking. This paper outlines four built environment interventions in Toronto, Canada that seek to address the challenges in navigating urban space safely in the short term, including street design that prioritizes pedestrians, protected cycling infrastructure, access to inclusive green space and safe, affordable housing. Longer-term strategies to create health-promoting urban environments that are equitable are discussed and may be valuable to other cities with similar urban equity concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication has been a struggle for everyone since the covid outbreak and in the aftermath, people have had to get accustomed to video conferencing applications. However people with physical or mental limitations are still unable to use video conferencing apps and their interfaces. This necessitates the development of web-based video chat applications. These applications can aid those who are unable to communicate verbally and/or operate using standard mouse and keyboard inputs, but yet need to feel close to others when they are apart. The proposed application incorporates various accessibility features such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech, gaze tracking and pictorial speech interfaces. It enables individuals with disabilities to participate in virtual meetings on an equal footing with their peers. The goal is to remove barriers and promote inclusiveness in remote work and collaboration for all users, regardless of their abilities using this application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computational Thinking (CT) captures the mental processes used to model and solve problems using a computational processes. While often connected to programming, CT is a core problem-solving skill, which has been advocated by educational researchers as a core skill, at par with reading and comprehension. A variety of learning environments have been proposed to aid young learners in acquiring knowledge of CT. The majority of such environments are highly visual, linking the process of solving a problem computationally to the process of building a graphical representation of an algorithm, e.g., in the form of a graphical jigsaw puzzle. The algorithms are often used to produce a visual output, e.g., animations. The highly visual models have been shown to be inaccessible to young learners with visual disabilities. This paper provides a review of the literature, which addresses the challenges of learning CT by young learners with visual disabilities. The survey offers also a series of recommendations on the effective design of accessible programming learning environments for young learners with visual disabilities. The paper provides an understanding of the current state of the art, along with the identification of promising directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We survey the development of auditory displays as assistive technology for visually impaired users. Both single user and collaborative, cross-modal applications are discussed. The systems and design issues covered include desktop and mobile contexts. We conclude that audio in assistive technology displays has much untapped potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is to examine the role that models play in informing the approach that post-secondary education institutions take to developing inclusive and equitable practices that successfully and appropriately address the access needs of disabled students in relation to information and communications technology. It reviews the current approach of the post-secondary education community to using models to inform their accessibility practice with respect to ICT and explores the answers to three related questions: 1. What alternatives to the Universal Design model exist? 2. How do we differentiate between different accessibility models? 3. Do we need more than one model to inform accessibility practice? One key outcome of this exploration is a proposed evaluation framework that can help post-secondary institutions make informed decisions about the most appropriate model for them to adopt. The paper concludes that such a framework has potential to transform practitioners' approaches to accessibility by suggesting that excellence may not require a 'blanket approach' in which just one model 'rules' or dominates their thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-driving, 'autonomous' vehicles (AVs) promise to change the world in profound ways. The suggested benefits include safety, efficiency and accessibility. However, researchers and others have been quick to raise questions about wider implications for mobility and urban environments and responsible development of the technology. In a discussion that has been dominated by science, engineering and narrow questions of ethics, there is a need to draw attention to the old questions of politics: Who wins? Who loses? Who decides? Who pays? AVs will not be defined by their supposed autonomy; they will be defined by a set of social relationships. The special collection that this paper accompanies brings together research from a range of disciplines to explore the politics of autonomous vehicles and provide a foundation for ongoing investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to complex graphical information is essential when connecting blind and visually impaired (BVI) people with the world. Tactile graphics readers enable access to graphical data through audio-tactile user interfaces (UIs), but these have yet to mature. A challenging task for blind people is locating specific elements–areas in detailed tactile graphics. To this end, we developed three audio navigation UIs that dynamically guide the user's hand to a specific position using audio feedback. One is based on submarine sonar sounds, another relies on the target's coordinate plan x and y-axis, and the last uses direct voice instructions. The UIs were implemented in the Tactonom Reader device, a new tactile graphic reader that enhances swell paper graphics with pinpointed audio explanations. To evaluate the effectiveness of the three different dynamic navigation UIs, we conducted a within-subject usability test that involved 13 BVI participants. Beyond comparing the effectiveness of the different UIs, we observed and recorded the interaction of the visually impaired participants with the different navigation UI to further investigate their behavioral patterns during the interaction. We observed that user interfaces that required the user to move their hand in a straight direction were more likely to provoke frustration and were often perceived as challenging for blind and visually impaired people. The analysis revealed that the voice-based navigation UI guides the participant the fastest to the target and does not require prior training. This suggests that a voice-based navigation strategy is a promising approach for designing an accessible user interface for the blind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assistive equipment provision process is routinely carried out with patients to mitigate fall risk factors via the fitment of assistive equipment within the home. However, currently, over 50% of assistive equipment is abandoned by the patients due to poor fit between the patient and the assistive equipment. This paper explores clinician perceptions of an early stage three-dimensional measurement aid prototype, which provides enhanced assistive equipment provision process guidance to clinicians. Ten occupational therapists trialled the three-dimensional measurement aid prototype application; think-aloud and semi-structured interview data was collected. Usability was measured with the System Usability Scale. Participants scored three-dimensional measurement aid prototype as 'excellent' and agreed strongly with items relating to the usability and learnability of the application. The qualitative analysis identified opportunities for improving existing practice, including, improved interpretation/recording measurements; enhanced collaborative practice within the assistive equipment provision process. Future research is needed to determine the clinical utility of this application compared with two-dimensional counterpart paper-based guidance leaflets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a case study from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on experiential learning approach to accessibility, inclusion and universal design in architectural education in line with the global communities’ efforts in raising awareness and fostering education on the needs of persons with disabilities. The study is particularly relevant due to the fact that the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and consequent safety measures amplified marginalization of people with disabilities. Bosnia and Herzegovina over the years failed to deliver on many basic principles signed in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Although scientific stance in literature review is divided on the subject of disability simulation activities as education method, this paper argues in favor of experiential learning, provided that the activities are carefully conceptualized over an adequate time period and involve different stakeholders, including persons with disabilities. The study was conducted through three different frameworks: theoretical, practical and creative design process in collaboration between a higher-education institution, a clinical center, and a civic non-profit organization of people with disabilities. The workshop outcomes surpass documenting student attitudes towards the topic and provide site mapping for accessibility improvement interventions, creative design solutions in improving the quality of public space and public outreach activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elderly group needs to be paid attention to while redesigning an inclusive city by improving their quality of life to achieve successful aging. The existence of elderlyfriendly urban spaces is imperative in promoting mental health and well-being in the scarcity of open spaces in dense urban environments. These spaces can help them to actively maintain health, physical and cognitive functions, and involve with the social environment. Taman Lansia Bandung is one of the thematic parks whose initial purpose was to become an elderly-oriented open space. However, Taman Lansia Bandung felt to be less and less accommodating to the elderly's comfort and ironically provides more attractions for younger visitors to the park. This paper attempts to propose a new design for Taman Lansia with a systematic design approach. A site analysis was conducted to examine the spatial issues such as natural, man-made, physical, and perceptual attributes to develop the contextual design idea. A set of design principles and criteria are generated from a systematic literature review of case studies, related research, and technical standards on accessible design for the elderly and disabled. The result of site analysis and design principles are then formulated into a design vision of the park. A 3D-model was created to simulate the design idea and then compare it with the existing conditions with the photo-match technique. The result is a therapeutic garden that improves the elderly's psychological comfort with a more ergonomic design, closeness to nature, and a multisensory impulse experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attention should be devoted to the accessibility of campus facilities to older adults and as a means to increase age-diversity. In this paper, we sought to uncover older adults' perceptions of campus accessibility via an online survey. Participants were recruited through local newsletters, and word of mouth, and included 81 community members (M Age = 71.58 years; 79% female; 89% White). Descriptive analyses were conducted for closed-ended responses and a constant comparative method was used to code open-ended responses. Based on the closed-ended responses, participants felt that the campus was somewhat accessible, moderately easy to walk around, and felt somewhat welcome on campus. The following general themes emerged in the open-ended responses: 1) inaccessibility on campus was related to parking and topography constraints (e.g., due to stairs, distance, hills); 2) accessibility on campus was due to sidewalks and access to transportation; 3) feeling welcome on campus was related to people being helpful, and 4) not feeling welcome was related to not 'being in the know' and not feeling like they belonged. These findings have implications for campus initiatives that aim to attract older adults, especially for campuses that have topography constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present century faces developmental fallout as vulnerability and risk mount on the global systems due to climate change, urbanisation, and population ageing. Moreover, population ageing is gaining a stronger hold in urban areas, and so are climate change and related shocks and stresses. Consequently, repercussions for the weakest sections of society – including the elderly – remain under academic consideration. In this context, the paper aims to understand the perilous predicament of older people due to the occurrence and interaction between climate change, urbanisation, and population ageing. This review investigates the underpinnings of the nature of the interaction among the three phenomena; and discerns how as a result of the interaction, various climate change related shocks and stresses affect older people in urban settings. It emerges that these three phenomena exhibit: concurrence; a positive trend of growth; and a cyclic pattern of interaction with four linkages, implying (i) rapid urbanisation is fuelling climate change, (ii) climate change is impacting urban areas, (iii) older people are increasing in urban areas, and (iv) urbanisation provides opportunities and barriers for older people. This interplay further discloses that older people stand vulnerable and at heightened risk from climate change related stressors in urban areas. These understandings highlight the need to ensure that urban environments remain age-friendly even in the face of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visualizations are now widely used across disciplines to understand and communicate data. The benefit of visualizations lies in leveraging our natural visual perception. However, the sole dependency on vision can produce unintended discrimination against people with visual impairments. While the visualization field has seen enormous growth in recent years, supporting people with disabilities is much less explored. In this work, we examine approaches to support this marginalized user group, focusing on visual disabilities. We collected and analyzed papers published for the last 20 years on visualization accessibility. We mapped a design space for accessible visualization that includes seven dimensions: user group, literacy task, chart type, interaction, information granularity, sensory modality, assistive technology. We described the current knowledge gap in light of the latest advances in visualization and presented a preliminary accessibility model by synthesizing findings from existing research. Finally, we reflected on the dimensions and discussed opportunities and challenges for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessibility and security issues pertaining to people with disabilities in Zimbabwe’s urban areas have so far received limited priority in scholarship and social policy. This is a major deviation from the prerequisites for disability inclusion, rights-based governance and development, and transformative social policy. Using qualitative research methodology, the paper addresses this compelling lacuna by exploring selected germane issues affecting people with disabilities, and advances policy options that Zimbabwe and other countries can implement to transform the well-being of this often excluded and trivialized group. The article acknowledges current effort for improving accessibility and security in and of urban areas but more importantly shows that people with disabilities are experiencing multiple problems due to glaring deficiencies in urban policy, amenities, and services. Transformative disability policy buttressed by a multi-stakeholder approach is indispensable in improving the situation of people with disabilities in relation to accessibility and security in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recognition of disability as a social construct has aided in providing better access to the built environment for disabled people, through the implementation of accessible spaces. However, access to them is not straightforward for disabled people who do not match stereotypical representations of disability. Drawing on empirical data collected from semi structured interviews and photo elicitation exercises, conducted with people with dwarfism living in the UK, this paper shows how they are often challenged or denied access to accessible spaces, creating a hierarchy of impairments. Building on the notion of 'statuarized spaces' the paper demonstrates how access to accessible spaces is influenced by their representation, which differs from representations of dwarfism, leading to incongruous encounters. These incongruous encounters affect the spatial practices of people with dwarfism. A more varied representation of disability is required in order to provide people with dwarfism straightforward access to accessible spaces. The ideas explored in this paper are based upon research carried out with people with dwarfism living in the UK. Shows how people with dwarfism are told off or challenged by other people when they want to access to accessible spaces. The paper shows some of the ways people with dwarfism gain access to accessible spaces. The paper argues for a broader representation of disability in order for people with dwarfism to be recognised as disabled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Architectural Journal / Jian Zhu Xue Bao is the property of Architectural Journal Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The relationship between poverty and disability has continued to be contentious and relevant as it contributes to policies addressing the needs of disabled people. Yet, this remains complex and under-researched in the context of developing countries. The literature on disability has used isolated elements of the livelihood capitals: natural, human, physical, financial, and social capital. This article seeks to fill this gap by bringing evidence from the study undertaken in Hawassa, Ethiopia, by employing a sustainable livelihood framework holistically. By using a sustainable livelihood framework, the paper reveals that livelihood challenges resulting from disability are multifaceted and inter-related. Infrastructural inaccessibility and social discrimination compounded by structural factors limit the human, social, and financial capital of disabled people. Consequently, they depend on their family and NGOs as a source of financial capital (loan) and skill training; and engage in informal, vulnerable, and socially insecure livelihoods to survive. Different policies and practical measures are proposed to overcome this situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public libraries are community spaces dedicated to promoting equal opportunities and providing access to culture and knowledge. To fulfill this mission effectively and efficiently, this volume presents nine papers that offer guidelines for public library management. These papers not only review international standards and indicators (such as IFLA/Unesco and ISO), but also analyze the structure of the national library services system. Additionally, they provide guidelines in various areas, including user relationships, personnel organization, information resource arrangement, infrastructure planning, strategic plan design, and cooperation networks with governmental and non-governmental organizations. These nine compiled works present a concept that allows for the design of accessible and inclusive libraries, without any distinction among the population, in the face of today's challenges characterized by multiculturalism and digitization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assistive technologies have allowed people with disabilities to perform daily tasks with greater independence and autonomy, especially for visually impaired people. Using smart home solutions allows these users to control their homes with less cognitive and physical demand. However, making such applications accessible to meet the needs of visually impaired users, especially in developing countries, remains a challenge. This paper investigates the perceptions of these users about home automation technologies through semi-structured interviews. A total of 20 visually impaired people participated in the interviews. A thematic analysis revealed results concerning the following themes: (1) how people go about their lives at home and around, how people interact with current appliances, objects and environments, (3) how people perceive their attitude to technologies, (4) the Brazilian context of smart homes, (5) what people think smart homes should do and (6) envisaging ways of interacting with smart home systems. The results obtained provide significant insight into the needs of visually-impaired people in Brazil, with analysis of issues that are common with previous studies in more developed countries and specific issues that have important particularities and implications in Brazil and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Map portals can facilitate the work of public administration units and improve access to information, although they have to present high material and technical quality. Not without significance are also measures supporting these websites. This paper aims to assess the quality of selected geoinformation websites. The study was carried out in the form of a quality audit with the use of selected web applications provided in a freeware, thin-client model. A comparative analysis was performed on three versions of the geoservice functioning for the Tomice municipality (accessed on 5th July 2023): 1) eMPZP website (https://www.tomice.pl/mpzp/), 2) municipal geoportal (http://www.mpzp.tomice.pl), and 3) municipal map portal (https://sip.gison. pl/tomice). The measurements were taken only once and in an ad hoc manner. The tests were performed in selected quality dimensions: responsiveness, performance, content and hyperlink quality, accessibility for people with disabilities, syntactic code correctness, search engine optimisation (SEO), and usage indicators, with special emphasis on overall quality. The conclusion was that each of the geoportals evaluated presents good quality. However, it would be wrong to compare them in absolute terms, as the quality of these services should be assessed through the lens of the different times in which they operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to deepen the concepts and practice of digital accessibility to people with disabilities. In particular it builds on the wider concept of sustainability. It also addresses the impact on libraries, the relevant standards and processes and finally reports an overview of the state of the art in implementation through interviews with librarians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many universities in Poland are based in historic buildings. As public facilities, they must have accessibility for people with disabilities. Therefore, historic buildings undergo regular reconstruction to ensure accessibility on the basis of technical and construction regulations and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. For the purpose of the study, those with exceptional architectural, cultural and historical are presented. The article is concerned with determining the current state of accessibility of selected Polish universities for students with mobility disabilities. The first part of the paper deals with the verification of the background material in the form of statistical data and support programmes for the studied group of users. The second part presents historical information about the historic buildings along with a qualitative analysis of the elements already applied to eliminate architectural barriers. Nine selected historical teaching facilities located both in Warsaw and scattered throughout the country were analysed using the field observation method. The conclusion presents the results indicating the application in the realizations of the principle of rational improvement stating that the preservation of historic value can become paramount to ensuring full accessibility. Still, monuments should be treated individually, and the same applies to disabilities, where each is different and requires individual perception and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An emerging segment of tourism demand is represented by accessible tourism, i.e. tourism activated in public spaces in the absence of any kind of barrier (architectural, cultural, sensorial, attitudinal, communicational and informational barriers) and, from a business competitiveness point of view, accessibility represents the precondition of any sustainable tourism policy and strategy. In this paper, we concentrate on tourism accessibility for people with disabilities. In particular, to better understand and overcome all obstacles that could impede travellers with special needs from enjoying their tourism experience, in literature is argued that the entire process of defining guidelines to improve tourism accessibility should follow a participatory approach from drafting to implementation. Therefore, to plan services for disabled people in addition to the mandatory requirements, our aim for the present paper is to apply a participatory approach involving stakeholders in the definition of a trademark specification. The experiment was applied to a protected natural area, namely the Gargano National Park (Southern Italy). Results confirm the relevance of adopting a participatory approach to involve stakeholders in the definition of a trademark specification granting disabled tourists with a wider accessibility to protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid technological evolution defines the first two decades of the millennium. This phenomenon has increased the digital gap, disparities, and inequalities in global and local contexts. This paper reports a systematic literature mapping of 180 articles published from 2000 to 2021 discussing the digital gap. The documents were retrieved using boolean operations in two databases, adding terms related to gender, age, ethnicity, and disabilities, focusing on population groups that are especially vulnerable to the effects of this phenomenon. The method included categorizing the retrieved documents to provide a general view of the most concerning topics in the academic and research community. This analysis concludes (a) the approaches to address this topic are diverse, as this is a multilayered, complex, and interconnected issue; (b) many studies refer to developed countries; however, fewer are those who observe or analyze the underdeveloped regions; (c) the majority of published papers in the last decade report information and communication technologies (ICT) and their role in bridging the gap, showing an opportunity area for designing these technologies considering more accessible approaches through flexible technology approaches; (d) this study's results are a valuable source of information to identify the design requirements for accessible products and service systems. The last section provides a detailed explanation of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First, as a fan of live music and a power wheelchair user living with congenital muscular dystrophy, I use critical storytelling to describe my personal experiences of negotiating for accessibility during participation in arts and cultural activities. Second, I reflect broadly on the ableist ideologies that contribute to the inaccessibility of arts and cultural activities, focusing on the narrow scope of target participants, the ableist rationale for accessibility service provision, the inaccessibility of promotional materials and ticketing, segregated seating arrangements, venue inaccessibility, and single-modal performance. Third, I highlight the detrimental impact of the inaccessibility of arts and cultural activities at the organizational, social, intergroup, interpersonal, and individual levels. Finally, I propose future research directions and suggestions for inclusive practice in arts and cultural activities. This paper aims to promote self-empowerment, unravel the manifestations of ableism in arts and cultural activities, and stimulate readers' critical reflection on in/accessibility of arts and cultural activities. As a power wheelchair user living with congenital muscular dystrophy in Hong Kong, I reflect on how my first-hand experiences of going to more than 60 live concerts and some other arts and cultural activities across five places reinforce discrimination and stereotypes against wheelchair users. I provide examples of my real-life scenarios to illustrate the discrimination against wheelchair users in cultural and arts activities. Examples include experiences in the purchase of concert tickets, inquiries about accessible seating options, communication with venue staff, and interactions with my companions during concerts. I reflect on the impact of the discrimination and barriers of arts and cultural activities. I provide examples of inclusive practices that can promote the accessibility of arts and cultural activities. The writing process is a self-empowering. It helps organize and express my emotions and thoughts regarding the barriers encountered in arts and cultural activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pre-discharge home assessments by occupational therapists facilitate safe and timely discharge from hospital and are associated with better health outcomes. Digital technology offers the potential to reduce duplication of documentation and improve communication and sharing of home assessment findings. Objective: This quality improvement project evaluated time-cost; clinician satisfaction and confidence; and acceptability of the use of a digital approach to home assessments. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional design was used to compare usual practice with the digital approach across two sub-acute wards in a large metropolitan hospital in Queensland, Australia. Time to document and conduct home assessments as well as clinician satisfaction and confidence were compared using descriptive statistics. Clinician perspectives about the home assessment approaches were collected through a survey and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Home assessment and documentation time were significantly lower for the home assessments conducted using the digital approach compared with usual practice assessments. Clinician satisfaction with using digital technology was higher. Conclusions: The introduction of this simple technology reduced clinicians' time to conduct home assessments and document home assessment reports. The project was well received by occupational therapy clinicians. http://links.lww.com/IJEBH/A187 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known on the subject: Comfort as a conceptual and lived experience is essential in psychiatric hospital contexts and for overall mental health wellbeing.Comfort is a valuable aspect when designing hospitals and built environments for psychiatric care. What the paper adds to existing knowledge: This article presents the results from a Design Anthropology study at four Psychiatric Units co‐located in a newly built regional hospital based on 126 ethnographic interviews with staff, within which 63 participants mentioned the importance of comfort in generating environments conducive to wellbeing.An in‐depth qualitative understanding of comforting practices, as emergent forms of everyday care. These may receive less attention within more established interventions from organisational models of care (e.g., Safewards) and might appear to be implicit gestures of courtesy. However, they contribute to meaningful encounters and contribute to individual and organisational wellbeing in psychiatric care. What are the implications for practice: This paper builds on comfort theories and demonstrates implications for practice through ethnographic examples. Comfort, often unnoticed until it is absent, needs to be maintained through continuous "small" but intentional acts of care. These constitute a finely tuned repertoire of everyday comforting practices of care at psychiatric contexts.Corridors and doors are presented as spaces where people have brief interactions that can contribute to everyday comforting experiences.Comfort is discussed in dialogue with existing literatures from psychiatric nursing, healthcare building design and design anthropology. Implicit and improvised practices of care that foster comforting environments have vital potential to support institutionally endorsed models of care (e.g., Safewards).The article proposes that design has a dual role for comforting environments in psychiatric care; (a) through the practice of architectural design and (b) through the practices of staff when creating everyday comforting interactions for wellbeing. Introduction: Creating a comforting environment is essential for delivering psychiatric care. While healthcare organisations explicitly implement care models and adapt the physical environment, attention to staff's implicit everyday practice is limited. Aim: Developing a design anthropology approach tailored specifically to the research site, we examine the social and physical environment to unpack how staff integrate both—implicit comforting interventions, and the explicit measures taken by the organisation—into their everyday practices of psychiatric care. Method: Design and sensory ethnography, using extended observations and "walking tours" were undertaken with 126 staff members. A thematic analysis was conducted on all visual and audio material. Results: Staff's everyday implicit care practices and situated design decisions provide a comforting environment for patients, visitors and staff. Discussion: Implicit practices combine with an explicit organisational model of care to achieve a comforting environment. The value of design anthropology to uncover these dynamics is emphasized. Comforting practice involving implicit gestures of courtesy, which are infrequently addressed within organisational models of care (e.g., Safewards), are foregrounded. Implications for practice: Explicit models of care have clear value in generating comfort; however, psychiatric hospital care also benefits from less visible modes of delivering comfort through everyday practices. By acknowledging both explicit and implicit modes of comfort, we can better understand how care models and psychiatric cultures of care are nurtured. Continuous "small" but intentional acts of care (e.g., brief interactions in corridors and at doors) constitute a finely tuned repertoire of everyday comforting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Occupational therapists recommending home modifications in Australia are often required by funding bodies to consider 'value' and 'value for money' (VFM); however, clear guidance on how to define and apply these concepts is not always provided. This paper reports on a qualitative study examining how the concepts of value and VFM are currently understood and operationalised by occupational therapists in Australian home modification practice, with the aim of positively contributing to both policy and practice in this area. Methods: The study utilised constructivist grounded theory to collect and analyse qualitative data from 20 occupational therapists who were currently working across Australia and had professional experience in home modifications. Findings: The grounded theory that was derived from the analysis highlights the unique position that occupational therapists occupy in home modification work as they strive to align the values of different stakeholders to create solutions that all consider to be valuable. In the absence of consistent frameworks or methods for determining value and VFM, evidence also emerged of occupational therapists using a range of individual approaches such as using formal and informal care as metrics, cheapest option approaches, and comparative costing. Conclusion: In addition to a clear need for consistent and transparent approaches to understanding and operationalising VFM in home modifications, there is also a need for further investigation into the value systems that underpin this work. A conceptualisation of occupational therapists as street‐level policy agents has proven useful here as it highlights the position occupational therapists occupy, enacting, making, and, at times, challenging policy in day‐to‐day practice as they work to align the values of the various stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]