Designing Hospitals Through the Lens of Universal Design. An Evaluation Tool to Enhance Inclusive Healthcare Facilities.

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.

A Review of Universal Design in Professional Architectural Education: Recommendations and Guidelines.

There is a growing understanding of the widespread societal benefits of a universal design (UD). To achieve these benefits, architectural professionals must have the knowledge and skills to implement UD in practice. This paper investigates UD in the context of recent architectural education.

Self-reported difficulty and preferences of wheeled mobility device users for simulated low-floor bus boarding, interior circulation and disembarking.

Background: Low ridership of public transit buses among wheeled mobility device users suggests the need to identify vehicle design conditions that are either particularly accommodating or challenging. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of low-floor bus interior seating configuration and passenger load on wheeled mobility device user-reported difficulty, overall acceptability and design preference.

Methods: Forty-eight wheeled mobility users evaluated three interior design layouts at two levels of passenger load (high vs.

How a diverse research ecosystem has generated new rehabilitation technologies: Review of NIDILRR's Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers.

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain.

Effects of transit bus interior configuration on performance of wheeled mobility users during simulated boarding and disembarking.

The emergence of low-floor bus designs and related regulatory standards in the U.S. have resulted in substantial improvements in public transit accessibility.

Universal Design and Continuing Professional Development for Architects: An Irish Case Study.

The Tomar Resolution urged that all occupations working in the built environment be educated in the principles and measures of Universal Design in order to facilitate all people playing a full role in society. For Architects and Architectural Technologists, under-graduate education will continue to have a major role to play. At the same time in the Republic of Ireland, and in an ever-growing number of other jurisdictions, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a requirement for all Architects and Architectural Technologists and can significantly affect knowledge, skill and competence in a number of subjects including Universal Design.

Low-floor bus design preferences of walking aid users during simulated boarding and alighting.

Low-floor buses represent a significant improvement in accessible public transit for passengers with limited mobility. However, there is still a need for research on the inclusive design of transit buses to identify specific low-floor bus design conditions that are either particularly accommodating or challenging for passengers with functional and mobility impairments. These include doorway locations, seating configuration and the large front wheel-well covers that collectively impact boarding, alighting and interior movement of passengers.

Anthropometry and standards for wheeled mobility: an international comparison.

Space requirements for accommodating wheeled mobility devices and their users in the built environment are key components of standards for accessible design. These requirements typically include dimensions for clear floor areas, maneuvering clearances, seat and knee clearance heights, as well as some reference dimensions on wheeled mobility device sizes. Recent research from four countries was reviewed and compared with their prevailing accessibility standards to identify needs for improving standards.

Space Requirements for Wheeled Mobility Devices in Public Transportation: An Analysis of Clear Floor Space Requirements: (Investing in Accessible Transportation and Mobility ABE60).

Recent research on the anthropometry of wheeled mobility devices and their users (=) indicates that the current dimensions for 'clear floor area' prescribed in U.S. accessibility standards for transportation are inadequate for accommodating many users of wheeled mobility devices, especially those that use power chairs and scooters.

Development of a new assessment of effort and assistance in standing pivot transfers with functional electrical stimulation.

Background: Currently available clinical tools for assessing rehabilitation outcomes do not capture both the effort exerted and assistance required for persons with spinal cord injuries to perform a standing pivot transfer using functional electrical stimulation (FES). This study was undertaken to develop and apply a clinical tool to measure the ability to stand and transfer with electrical stimulation.

Methods: The Functional Performance Measure (FPM) methodology was chosen to develop a tool to measure performance.