Designing for the Disabled ourteam

1. Welcome to our information page on designing for the disabled. Within these pages you will find practical guidelines and references for professionals and students alike. Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Designing for the Disabledwww.ourteam.com Page Last Updated – 12/6/02

2. The movement for universal design began in the 1950’s with the increasing activism on the part of WWII veterans to make consumer products and built environments more accessible to the disabled. As the reasons for universal design became more apparent to industry and consumers alike, it became obvious that universal design could Benefit all consumers. The purpose of universal design is the creation of products and environments for a very broad range of users. Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Universal Design • Seven Principles of Universal Design • Equitable Use • Flexibility in Use • Simple and Intuitive • Perceptible Information • Tolerance for error • Low physical effort • Size and Space for Approach and Use

3. It is estimated that there are some 7 to 10 million people living in United States today with partial or full visual impairment. So it is important to design products that take into consideration methods for making products and environments more friendly to the visually impaired user Practical guidelines for designing for the visually impaired Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Designing for the Visually Impaired

4. Practical guidelines Use of visual aids such a Braille Increase display and sign size Avoid use of colors that are hard to distinguish from each other (like yellow and red) Use multiple resources, such as audio and visual. (See example below) Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Guidelines for Designing for the Visually Impaired Example of multiple resources

5. Changing demographics show that more people than ever in the United States are elderly or living with disabilities. The number of people with functional disabilities is expected to increase in the future. Much new state and federal regulation has been passed in the last three decades to make society more accessible to those with disabilities. From an economic standpoint, universally designed products have had a great degree of commercial success as crossover products to the mainstream market. Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Reasons for Universal Design

6. Using devices such as closed captioning on television can be very helpful for people who cannot experience physical stimulus. Make sure to use an adequate signal to noise (S/N) ratio. Higher frequencies can be harder to hear. Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Guidelines for Designing for the Hearing Impaired

7. Consumer studies have shown that difficulties the physically impaired encounter in products can be broken into four categories. These are (in decreasing difficulty)•Transporting • Lifting • Gripping • Manipulation In designing products, an engineer should minimize the level of each activity that must be performed by the user. Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Designing for the Physically Impaired

8. References Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Links and References Bamforth, S. and Brookes, N.J. Proceedings of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Journal of Engineering Manufacture. Incorporating the Voice of Multiple Customers into Product Design. V.216, pp. 809-813. Keates, S., Lebbon, C., Clarkson, J. Investigating Industry Attitudes to Universal Design. Engineering Design Centre, University of Cambridge. UK. Dept. of Trade in Industry (UK) A Study of the Difficulties Disabled People When Using Everyday Consumer Products. Government Consumer Safety Research. Aug 2000. Urban Management Department of the Lebanese Company for the Development and Reconstruction of Beirut Central District (SOLIDERE) in collaboration with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). Accessibility for the Disabled-A Design Manual for a Barrier Free Environment. Links The Center for Universal Design www.design.ncsu.edu/cud Department of Labor-Office of Disability Employment Policy. www.dol.gov/odep Americans with Disabilities Act Document Center www.jan.wvu.edu

9. Home Universal Design Designing for the Visually Impaired Designing for the Hearing Impaired Designing for the Physically Handicapped Links and References Site Map Site Map Universal Design Reasons For Hearing Impaired Visually Impaired Guidelines For Home Physically Impaired Links & References Site Map