Global Universal Design EducatorsOnline News

Produced and distributed by ElaineOstroff, through contracts with the Center for Universal Design and theAdaptive Environments Center, in cooperation with the National Instituteon Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Volume5 Number 3, February - March 2004

Contents

• Editor's Note
• News from theGlobal Network
• AUSTRALIA 
• SmartHousing - Universal Design in Queensland
• CANADA
• CanadianBuilding Codes, Interview with Laurie Ringaert
• NewRail Cars Must Remove Obstacles
• EUROPE 
• EuropeanPrize for Urban Public Space
• InclusiveDesign and Intelligent Technology for Accessible Workplaces (IDIA)
• JAPAN
• CentralJapan International Airport and Universal Design
• SCANDINAVIA(NORDIC COUNTRIES)
• NordicTourism for All Award
• UniversalDesign Education Project (UDEP-Sweden)
• Designfor All in Public Transport, Design for All in Education
• UNITED KINGDOM 
• TheAccessible Electronics Lab Invites Participation
• TheDisability Portfolio
• InclusiveDesign Discussion List
• 2004Misha Black Medal awarded to Elaine Ostroff
• UNITED STATES
• 2004 daVinciAwards
• AccessBoard Updates:
• AccessibilityHighlighted in U.S. Aid Program for Afghanistan
• ProjectPanel Convenes on Improving Indoor Air Quality
• ADA DocumentPortal
• Diversityin Design Journal
• EDRA 2004
• Social xCHANGE
• TheUniversal Package: designing packaging for everyone
• UniversalApproach to Interpretive Planning, Programs and Design
• WORLD
• WorldWide Web Updates:
• AccessibleLayout - The Tension Between Accessibility and Visual Design
• WebContent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Working Draft Released
• DesignCompetition: Integrated Communities: A Society for all Ages
• Global UniversalDesign Educator's Network e-mail list
• Calendar(opens a different window)
• Adding yourinformation, questions to the Online News

EDITOR'SNOTE

You'll find news about SmartHousing in Australia, workplace design in a new European-based website,a people-friendly airport in the works for Japan, design for all in educationin Sweden, guidance to improve the user experience in museums and librariesin the UK, enlightened financial aid policies for rebuilding Afghanistan,and beginning work to improve indoor air quality in the US. You can joina new discussion group on inclusive design, and/or contribute to a newjournal - Diversity in Design - and refer people to design competitionsat multiple scales - urban, architectural and product. There are at leastsix conferences noted - ranging from transportation to education, packaging,social change, environment behavior and web design. 

The decision to post theCalendar separately in early March looks like it may be a way to dividethe large amount of information in the future. We'll evaluate this in abouta month - to send out the Calendar first and then the newsletter a monthlater. Your comments are welcome.

Information from the OnlineNews may be freely copied and quoted as long as the individual author,and/or web site and this source are cited. NOTE: Previous issues of theOnline News are available online at the Global Universal Design EducationNetwork website at: http://www.universaldesign.net.

NEWS FROM THE GLOBALNETWORK

AUSTRALIA

The Queensland Government, Departmentof Housing has created a booklet about Universal Design and Smart Housing.The Government states that Smart Housing is good practice in designing,planning and building homes to make them more socially, environmentallyand economically sustainable. In a Smart House, you will be able to movearound more easily, feel safer, save money and help the environment. Youand your family can live in a Smart House through all stages of your lives.Smart Housing has been developed in response to the demand for housingthat better meets people's needs, responds to the Queensland climate, andsaves money.

The booklet explains the benefits ofuniversal design and how they can be achieved. It is based on a collectionof key reference materials and collective experience across the QueenslandGovernment. A list of useful reference materials is included for anyonewishing to access further information on universal design.

For more information see: 
http://www.housing.qld.gov.au/builders/smart_housing/

CANADA

CanadianBuilding Codes - Interview with Laurie Ringaert

Q: Do the Canadian BuildingCodes include universal design?
A: I believe that some ofthe technical changes that are to be approved will move the Code more towarda universal design approach. 

One example is with the requirementfor the lever faucet or electronic control. At the present time, this requirementis only for the 'barrier-free' sink (lavatory) in the public bathroom inPart 3.8 (Barrier-Free section of the code). The proposed change will movethe requirement into the regular plumbing section (3.7) and require thatall sinks (lavatories) comply with this requirement; thus a more universalapproach.

Other examples are the proposedchanges to all hotel rooms.  The proposed changes will stipulate thatall doors in the suite are wider, that all toilets and tubs have grab bars,and the sink have lever handles or electronic faucets.  This willmake all new hotel suites  more accessible for many users. This willensure a safer environment for all people and will increase the numberof suites that have some sort of accessibility that many people, includingolder adults can appreciate. 

Q: What other initiativesrelated to the Canadian Building Code do you think benefit the move towardsuniversal design?
A: The Committee has beenworking on intent statements to move toward an objective-based code aswell as some technical changes.  The purpose of the objective basedcode is to provide the user with reasons (or intents) for each item inthe code. We believe that there will be easier interpretation of the codeonce these are published. The code itself will look the same with the intentstatements being available in a separate document. 

With these references touniversal design, it is hoped that builders will now realize that theycan go  further than the actual code stipulations and satisfy theintent of the code.

Laurie is very pleased withthese moves towards more universal design. The new Canadian Building Codeis due to be published in 2005. 

For more information on theCanadian Building Code, see: http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/catalogue/codes.htmland http://www.nationalcodes.ca/consult/tc/index_e.shtml

NewRail Cars Must Remove Obstacles

The Canadian TransportationAgency (the Agency) has ordered VIA Rail Canada Inc. (VIA) to remove 14undue obstacles to the mobility of persons with disabilities on its newRenaissance cars following a complaint filed by the Canadian Council ofPersons with Disabilities (CCD) that raised 46 different concerns aboutthe accessibility of certain features of the cars, primarily as they relateto persons who use wheelchairs. The October 29, 2003 decision followeda preliminary decision in March that gave VIA 60 days to show cause aswhy the removal of the obstacles was undue. The Agency found VIA's responseto be inadequate and provided VIA with another opportunity to provide furtherevidence. 

Throughout the careful examinationof all the submissions...the Agency is of the opinion that "VIA has notshown cause that it cannot remedy the undue obstacles identified by theAgency."

In December 2000, VIA purchased139 passenger rail cars from France's Alstom Transport Ltd., which increasedthe size of its fleet by approximately one-third. According to VIA, theNightstock trains, renamed Renaissance, 'were a unique purchase...and ata remarkably low cost.' Designed for use in Europe in the 1990s, they werebuilt to offer fast overnight train service between Europe and the northernregions of the United Kingdom through the Channel tunnel.

The Agency directed VIA,through the recent Decision No. 620-AT-R-2003, to remove the undue obstacles.The majority of these obstacles relate to areas of the Renaissance trainsthat have been designed specifically to meet the needs of persons withdisabilities. 

(See http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/rulings-decisions/decisions/2003/R/AT/620-AT-R-2003_e.html#17for background and a detailed list of the undue obstacles and the measuresthe Agency is ordering VIA to take to correct these obstacles.)

The Canadian TransportationAgency is an independent Government of Canada quasi-judicial tribunal.VIA is an independent Crown corporation set up in 1978 to operate passengertrains in Canada. CCD is a Winnipeg-based organization that speaks outon issues of interest to persons with disabilities.

EUROPE

EuropeanPrize for Urban Public Space

For more information, see: http://urban.cccb.org/ 

InclusiveDesign and Intelligent Technology for Accessible Workplaces (IDIA)

The IDIA Network aims atintegrating the potential of the intelligent workplace with the principleof Design for All, in order to develop a new concept of workplace design,that changes the basic mindset away from 'individual' thinking, which tendstowards the use of 'add-on' alterations after a basic design has been made,and towards the inclusion of the maximum possible number of naturally diversehuman beings in the design and planning process from the very outset.

In order to guarantee a strongand sustainable uptake of a radically new way to design and produce workplaceinfrastructures that can guarantee wider accessibility for all, there isa need to join the efforts of computer scientists and technologists withthose of design experts, disability experts and other involved actors,whose contribution is essential to a user-centered conception.

For more information on IDIA,see:  http://www.idia2002.com/index.asp

JAPAN

CentralJapan International Airport and Universal Design

For the complete articleon the airport, see:
http://www2.aia.pref.aichi.jp/voice/no15/15_clear_for_takeoff.html
For a virtual tour of theairport, see:
http://www.cjiac.co.jp/foreign/english/virtual/virtual_01.html

SCANDINAVIA(Nordic Countries)

Nordic Tourismfor All Award Winners

The winner, 'Labeling scheme for Accessibilityfor All,' is a collaborative project on information for accessible tourismbetween the three players: Horesta, The Danish Tourist Board, and The DanishCouncil of Organizations of Disabled People (DSI). These have united toform the 'Association for Accessibility for All' (Foreningen Tilgængelighedfor Alle) in order to push the information system within the tourism industry.The jury believed the project has great potential to function as a modelfor similar initiatives in the rest of Scandinavia and Europe.

The jury also issued two honorablementions. These went to 'Holiday in West Jutland - accessible for all'and 'Accessibility at the Tivoli.' The first of these is a fine model forother regions or municipalities that aim at taking initiatives in theirtourism policy with regard to 'tourism for all.'  Accessibility atthe Tivoli' is a model in the work on making individual destinations accessiblefor all.

For the full text of the announcement,see the newsletter '... for all,' The newsletter (online and in print)contains news about design for all from the Nordic Cooperation on Disabilityand the Nordic Council on Disability Policy. See: http://www.nsh.se/in_english/for_all_no2_Autumn2003.htm

UniversalDesign Education Project (UDEP-Sweden)

In Sweden, a three-year Universal DesignEducation Project (UDEP-Sweden) is working on its third year. The projectwas initiated within the Education Group of the European Institute fordesign and Disability -Sweden and builds on the US-based Universal DesignEducation Project. There was consensus that something had to be done toenhance design knowledge and skills related to individuals and groups withdifferent abilities in an integral manner. The most sustainable way foundwas by the architecture and design schools. Spring 2001 was the start upperiod and the three-year program will end in summer 2004. The projectinvolves ten universities with master's education programs in industrial/productdesign, technical/industrial design, garden design/landscape architectureand architecture. The UDEP-Sweden has promoted the development of DfA (Design-for-All)issues. There have been teacher education opportunities, student competitions,different cooperation projects between the schools, with user organizationsand individuals/experts. There have been innovations in education methodologyand in design. The main point is that universal design approaches, perspectivesand competences shall be comprehensive, natural and sustainable in thedesign professions in the future. There will be a written report by January1, 2005.

To visit the UDEP-S web site, see:www.universaldesign-sweden.com

Designfor All in Public Transport, Design for All in Education

A European conference on Design forAll in Public Transport and Design for All in Education will be held onMay 7, 2004 in Stockholm, sponsored by the Nordic Council on DisabilityPolicy in cooperation with the European Institute on Design and Disability(EIDD) Sweden. The Public Transport conference will present current initiativeson a national, Nordic, and European level. The Education conference willhighlight national projects in Sweden and Belgium and European trends indesign for all curriculum development. The conferences are held in conjunctionthe EIDD Annual General Meeting in Stockholm May 8-9, 2004. For more informationemail: nsh@nsh.se

UNITED KINGDOM

TheAccessible Electronics Lab Invites Participation 

The project will result in a case study,including information gleaned from visits by disabled staff and studentsto the existing lab and discussions between them and architect/design andassistive technology experts. There will also be a guide, containing asurvey of existing materials, systems, standards and courses collated inthe form of a database of resources, and information on the process thisfeasibility project has used and the results obtainable. Materials developedduring the project will also be provided on a website. The project willculminate in a workshop for staff, students and designers on the findings.

The project invites readers to sendexamples of work on, or actual, accessible laboratories. They would alsolike to hear of examples of disabled people excluded from laboratory-basedwork or study at any level, including school. Although the focus of theprojects is electronics labs, the directors are circulating this questionnairemore widely, as similar types of issues are raised in other laboratorysettings and  welcome replies from anyone involved in laboratory work.This includes staff and students in other disciplines as well as electricalengineering and, for instance people working in industry, rehabilitationcenters and hospitals.  Please respond by 30 April 2004 (or soonerif possible).

For more information or questionnaire,contact Dr. Marion Hersch at m.hersh@elec.gla.ac.uk

The questionnaire is available at:http://www.ltsneng.ac.uk/hec/lab_access.asp

For more information on LTSN and thisproject, see: http://www.ltsneng.ac.uk/hec/mini_projects/index.asp#lab

The DisabilityPortfolio

The Museums, Libraries and Archives(MLA) Council has issued The Disability Portfolio. The Portfolio is anotherway the MLA addresses their mission to enable the collections and servicesof the museums, archives and libraries sector to touch the lives of everyone.This is a collection of 12 guides on how best to meet the needs of disabledpeople as users and staff in museums, archives and libraries. It givesinvaluable advice, information and guidance to help overcome barriers andfollow good practice. 

This collection of guides has a predominantlypractical focus, and aims to give museum, archive and library managersall the information they need to develop inclusive services and practicesfor disabled people. They aim to give the reader an understanding of thebarriers that restrict participation by disabled people, and practicalsolutions to overcome them. Additionally, the guides also seek to explainhow disabled people place themselves within society and what factors influencetheir choice of services. 

Some of the 12 guides are: 1. Disabilityin Context, 2. Meeting Disabled People, 3. Training for Equality, Technology,8. Access on a Shoestring, 9. Accessible Environments, 10. Outreach andPartnerships, 11. Consulting Disabled People, and 12. Employment at EveryLevel. 

To access the guides, see: 
http://www.resource.gov.uk/action/learnacc/00access_03.asp

Also, The Disability Portfolio is availablefree for museums, archives and libraries and disabled people working inthe sector, in print (12 point clear print) ; large print (15 point); audiocassette and braille (both with brief descriptions).

InclusiveDesign Discussion List

Marcus Ormerod from SURFACE has setup a new discussion list for the discussion of issues about an inclusivedesign process and its application. Inclusive design is applicable in allfields of design and therefore this list covers a wide range of designdisciplines. Inclusive Design is a way of designing products and environmentsso that they are usable and appealing to everyone regardless of age, abilityor circumstance by working with users to remove barriers in the social,technical, political and economic processes underpinning design.

If people are excluded from productsand facilities that provide homes, education, employment, leisure, entertainment,services and amenities then not only does discrimination occur but alsoopportunities for integration are lost. An inclusively designed environmentconsiders people's diversity and removes unnecessary barriers and exclusionsin a way that benefits us all.

To access the list and its archives,see: 
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/INCLUSIVE-DESIGN.html

MishaBlack 2004 Medal Awarded to Elaine Ostroff

Elaine Ostroff, one of the foundersof the Universal Design movement in the USA, has been awarded the 2004Misha Black Medal for Distinguished Services to Design Education. Elaineis only the third American honored since 1978 when the Misha Black Medalwas created by the Royal College of Art, the Faculty of Royal Designersfor Industry of the RSA, The Design and Industries Association and TheChartered Society of Designers. They were joined by the Royal Academy ofEngineering in 1996. The medal was instituted as a memorial after Sir MishaBlack died in 1977. He was the first Professor of Industrial Design atthe Royal College of Art, founded the Design Research Unit and was an advocatefor socially conscious design. The medal is the only major award in designeducation.

Mary Mullin, Chairman, of the Sir MishaBlack Memorial Medal Committee commented: Elaine Ostroff has been a persuasiveinfluence on design education at all levels and an indefatigable championof design that respects the needs and capabilities of older and disabledpeople, reflecting their aspirations and potential. Importantly it is teachingthose who legislate, finance, commission and produce, that thoughtful designcan create a more inclusive and better world.' 

For more information, see: 
http://www.adaptiveenvironments.org/index.php?option=Content&Itemid=185

UNITEDSTATES

2004 daVinci Awards

The nomination deadline is May 28,2004 and The da Vinci Awards will be presented during Dinner with da Vincithat will be held on October 29, 2004. For more information and a nominationform, see: http://www.esd.org/davinci/

Access BoardUpdates from Access Currents

AccessibilityHighlighted in U.S. Aid Program for Afghanistan

A recent appropriations bill passedby Congress and signed into law includes a provision that calls attentionto the needs of people with disabilities in Afghanistan in the deliveryof U.S. assistance.  The U.S. Agency for International Development(USAID) operates programs and services in over 100 countries to help improveeconomic growth, agriculture, trade, governance, education, and health.arious USAID assistance packages are being directed to Afghanistan to helprebuild its infrastructure and economy after decades of war and civil strife.The approved bill directs USAID to consult with the Access Board and otheragencies and organizations on implementing accessibility standards withinsix months for the construction projects it funds.  USAID is alsoresponsible for submitting a report by the end of the year on how the needsof Afghanis with disabilities have been met through USAID programs, projects,and activities in Afghanistan.  The Board will soon be meeting withUSAID to discuss the development of these accessibility standards. 

ProjectPanel Convenes on Improving Indoor Air Quality

A panel organized to oversee an AccessBoard sponsored project on improving indoor environmental quality heldits first meeting in January in the Washington, D.C. area.  This project,which is being conducted for the Board by the National Institute of BuildingSciences, will bring together various stakeholders to examine the effectsof building and construction practices on indoor environments. 

Indoor air quality has become a majorconcern as a result of a growing number of people who suffer a range ofdebilitating physical reactions from low-level exposures to everyday materialsand chemicals found in building products, floor coverings, cleaning products,and fragrances, among others.  These include individuals who havedeveloped an acute sensitivity to various types of chemicals, a conditionknown as Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS).  The range and severityof reactions are as varied as the potential triggering agents.  Inaddition, there are those who report reactions from exposures to electricaldevices and frequencies, a condition referred to as Electro-Magnetic Sensitivity(EMS).

The Board's project is focused on howbuilding products, materials, ventilation, and maintenance can impact thequality of indoor environments for people who suffer from MCS and EMS. The panel, which functions as a steering committee for the project, includesrepresentatives from MCS and EMS organizations, experts on indoor environmentalquality, and representatives from the building industry.  At its initialmeeting, members discussed various strategies for collecting and disseminatinginformation, selecting focus areas, increasing awareness of the issuesinvolved, broadening participation in the project, developing recommendationsfor best practices, and identifying potential partners for further studyand outreach.

A public website will be set up todisseminate information collected by this project. The above items arefrom the January-February Access Currents, a free newsletter of the USAccess Board. For more news, see: www.access-board.gov.

ADA DocumentPortal

A new on-line library of ADA documentsis now available on the Internet.  Developed by Meeting the ChallengeInc. of Colorado Springs with funding from the National Institute on Disabilityand Rehabilitation Research, this website makes available more than 3,400documents related to the ADA, including those issued by Federal agencieswith responsibilities under the law.  It also offers extensive documentcollections on other disability rights laws and issues. 

See: www.ADAportal.org

Diversityin Design - New Journal

The Center for Inclusive Design andEnvironmental Access (IDEA) at the University at Buffalo is sponsoringa new academic journal entitled Diversity in Design: The Journal of InclusiveDesign Education. This journal is a forum for in-depth and timely analysisof scholarly issues related to diversity, and, particularly, issues relatedto inclusive design. It focuses on the changing roles of the designer inincreasingly diverse societies. Through peer-reviewed articles that examinediversity issues in design education and interviews with leading scholars/educators,the journal encourages a global community of designers and educators tocreate new knowledge and partnerships in inclusive design education. 

It will challenge the meanings of designand will advance the critical examination of who is doing the designing;what is being designed; where 'design' is taking place; why certain typesof design are being promoted; and how these images, products, and environmentsare designed, produced and consumed. It will explore the ways that variousdiversity groups have affected the design disciplines and, in turn, theways that these disciplines have affected various diversity groups. 

Articles will be reviewed and postedon a monthly basis. The first posting will be April 15, 2004. Please contactBeth Tauke tauke@arch.buffalo.eduor Alex Bitterman at aeb1@ap.buffalo.eduif you are interested in submitting your work for review.

EDRA 2004

The theme for EDRA 35 is Design withSpirit. EDRA is the Environmental Design Research Association - an international,interdisciplinary organization. The 35th annual meeting celebrates theawareness, passion, oneness, and surrender to higher influences in ourcreative processes of conceiving, shaping, and evaluating our built andnatural environments. Taken in the broadest of connotations, spirit notonly infuses us with enthusiasm, connection, and original thought in ourprocess, but also manifests in our products. As we strive to create holistichabitats of power and peace, we account for body, mind, and spirit in ourcriteria, intentions, and choices, just as our predecessors have done formillennia. The 35th EDRA meeting will bring modern practitioners full-circle,to experience their indigenous roots as students and sages of the human-environmentrelationship. Several of the workshops, symposia, and paper sessions willaddress the ancient, the mysterious, and the energetic aspects of the interfacebetween the person, the community, the earth, and resultant architecture. 

For more information on the conference,see: http://home.telepath.com/~edra/home.html

Social xCHANGE

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD)Architecture Department is hosting a multi-disciplinary symposium aboutsocial change as it relates to architecture on April 9-10, 2004 at RISD.The aim of the conference is to critique architectural representation ofsocial life, and offer a public exchange through presentations and reflectivetheoretical discussions for a social visionary future. The symposium isfree, but people should register on the website at http://departments.risd.edu/depts/socexchange/web/. 

Social xCHANGE will include discourseson ability, ethnicity, gender, race, and sexuality embedded in architectureand landscape environments. Social discourses, whether in the professionor in academia, tend to emphasize aesthetics, technological progress andpersonal freedom. This has produced both a regression and an advance incontemporary cultural experiences, urban development and technologicalchanges. Conference sponsors include RISD Department of Architecture andDesign, the RI Council on the Humanities and Adaptive Environments.

TheUniversal Package: designing packaging for everyone

This conference takes place June 16-17,2004 at The James B. Henry Center for Executive Development at MichiganState University. This innovative event is a first for the industry. Pharmaceutical, personal care, consumer goods, food and beverage packagesare being held to a similar standard by consumers: they must have greatutility. Packages that save time, thinking, and work, making life easier,are in demand. Although improvements that increase utility may add mere'convenience' to the life of an 'average' healthy consumer, they can bemuch more impactful on the lives of elderly and disabled people. We shouldconsider making these people the central concern of designers. 

For more information, see: http://www.universalpackage.msu.edu/welcome/welcome.htm

UniversalApproach to Interpretive Planning, Programs and Design

The National Center on Accessibilitywill conduct this 3-day workshop May 25-27, 2004 in Sacramento.  Thecourse is presented in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and registrationis open to professionals from all federal, state and local agencies andindividuals from non-profit agencies, private facilities, universities,and advocacy organizations.

This workshop is ideal for interpretersand interpretive planners, educators, accessibility coordinators, programcoordinators, curators, and exhibit planners, designers and fabricators.This training program focuses on methods and techniques for developingprograms and exhibits that are accessible to people with disabilities. The workshop will also concentrate on the movement away from minimal accessibilitystandards and 'specialized' design to the benefits of universal designsthat can be utilized by people of all abilities. Educational sessions willprovide an understanding of the needs of people with disabilities and theapplication of the principles of Universal Design to recreation areas,museums, and interpretive programs.  Sessions will highlight the evolvinguse of accessible technology for multi-media programs while addressingaccess to exhibits, audiovisual programs, museum and education programs,published materials and communications.  Participants will also gaina greater understanding of the critical use of tactile methods with maps,exhibits and objects.  Local interpretive sites and recreation areaswill be used for a field based exercise.

To register or for additional information,please visit the National Center on Accessibility website at www.ncaonline.org

WORLD

World WideWeb Updates

AccessibleLayout - The Tension Between Accessibility and Visual Design

This is a workshop to be held at theThirteenth International World Wide Web Conference. Layout and structureare key to good visual design and the conduit for both the content andthe graphics. They are also very important for disabled (e.g. dyslexicusers) people and specifically visually impaired users, as they need tobe quickly and easily interacted with. This workshop aims to address layout,structure, and presentation from the viewpoint of accessibility and goodvisual design; where these are in opposition, the workshop aims to facilitatediscussion between interested parties so that a solution (or at least thebeginners of a solution) can be formulated. The workshop organizers supportinclusive design or 'design for all' however how can this be the case ifusers have differing needs? The organizers also assert that no one shouldbe hindered when interacting with layout. Will making layout accessiblehinder sighted or 'conventional' users?  Submissions are due by April2 and the workshop takes place May 18, 2004 in NYC.

For more on the workshop, see: w4a.man.ac.uk.
For more on the Thirteenth InternationalWorld Wide Web Conference, see: http://www2004.org/

WebContent Accessibility Guidelines 2.0, Working Draft Released

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines(WCAG) Working Group has released a Working Draft for Web Content AccessibilityGuidelines 2.0. Version 2.0 widens the range of technologies covered andsimplifies wording. Following WCAG checkpoints makes Web content accessibleto people with disabilities and to users of a variety of Web-enabled devices.

For the new working draft, see: http://www.w3.org/TR/2004/WD-WCAG20-20040311/
For information on the Web AccessibilityInitiative, see: http://www.w3.org/WAI/

DesignCompetition: Integrated Communities: A Society for all Ages

The International Council for CaringCommunities (ICCC) is the sponsor of the student design competition incooperation with the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements and UnitedNations Aging Unit, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Toyo Universityand other partners.  The competition was first established in 1995and winning entries have been exhibited at the United Nations in New Yorkand elsewhere.

The Competition invites architecturestudents around the world to apply their creative talents toward developingsolutions, which integrate older persons seamlessly into the fabric ofthe community and include them in all social, cultural, and productiveactivities.  This competition was founded by the late architecturalhistorian Dr. Albert Bush Brown in 1995; it is typically held in conjunctionwith a concurrent of international conference held at the United Nationsin New York dealing with 'Caring Communities for the 21st Century: Imaginingthe Possible.'

Entry forms are due by October 15,2004.  For submission guidelines and other details, see: http://www.international-iccc.org/guidelines.htm
 

Global Universal Design Educator'sNetwork e-mail list

Addingyour information, questions to the Online News: 

Tosubscribe to the Online News, send an e-mail message to the same address.Please include your name and email address within the body of the message.There is no charge. 

ElaineOstroff, Editor. Director of the Global Universal Design Educator's Networkand Founding Director, Adaptive Environments

DianeRichard, Editorial Assistant. Center for Universal Design, College of Design,North Carolina State University

TheGlobal Universal Design Educator's Online News is produced and publishedthrough contracts with the Center for Universal Design and the AdaptiveEnvironments Center, in cooperation with the National Institute on RehabilitationResearch.